H 

DEVOTIONAL READINGS 

FROM 

LUTHER'S WORKS 



FOR 

EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR 

BY 

REV. JOHN SANDER, L. H. D. 




ROCK ISLAND, ILL. 

AUGUSTAN A BOOK CONCERN 






Copyright, 1915, 

BY 

Augustana Book Concern. 



ROCK ISLAND, ILL. 

AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN, PRINTERS AND BINDERS 





SEP 221915 
©CI.A410569 






PREFACE 

The aim of these selections is twofold. In the first place 
they are intended to furnish a text for every day of the year 
with comments of Luther on the main thought or thoughts of 
the text, and thus supply a short devotional reading for every 
day of the year. 

The second aim is to introduce Luther to a larger circle of 
English readers. Luther and his irork are not known in this 
-yuntry as they should be. America does not realize what an 
inheritance she has received from Luther and the Lutheran 
Reformation. The best way to understand Luther is to have 
Luther himself speak. His writings are so extensive that there 
is no trouble in finding something profitable for almost every 
occasion and condition in life. 

These selections have been made chiefly from Luther s ser- 
mons and devotional ivritings. Most of them have been selected 
from the English translation of a large portion of Luther s 
Works by the direction and under the supervision of Rev. John 
K. Lenker, D. D., Minneapolis, Minnesota, and edited by him. 
Some of the selections have been translated directly from the 
German by the writer. This work of Dr. Lenker is a great 
undertaking and should be encouraged by the Lutheran Church 
in America. Luther will never be understood from mere quota- 
tions and selections. His works must be read and studied in 
their entirety. 

There was no difficulty in finding good selections, but fre- 
quently it was no easy matter to decide which was the best 



4 PREFACE 

among a number of very good ones. We often read and reread 
many pages before deciding upon a selection. 

Luther is original and frequently uses very forcible language. 
The translator finds it no easy matter to make Luther speak 
good English. His terse and idiomatic German is very forcible 
and loses in the translation. Luther was only a man, but in 
mental power and capacity he towered head and shoulders above 
ordinary men. His comprehensive and penetrating mind often 
takes in the whole situation and comes to a conclusion at a 
bound, when other men need to reason step by step to attain 
the same result. His words occasionally appear vague and 
enigmatical, but on reading farther his meaning becomes clear 
and is found to be forcible and even beautiful. 

Because Luther sometimes says things in a ivay that is grating 
to our sensitive modern ears, we hastily put him aside as vague, 
harsh and uncouth. But a little patient Christian thinking will 
soon find great and important truths most forcibly and beauti- 
fully set forth. We should always remember that Luther spoke 
and wrote in the first half of the sixteenth century, when power- 
ful remedies were necessary to cure existing evils. 

With Luther the Word of God, or the Holy Scriptures, is 
everything. When there is a sure word of Scripture there is 
no yielding in Luther; he could have no patience with the man 
who dented or perverted God's Word. With the Word he 
stands and falls. 

"The Word they still shall let remain 
And not a thank have for it." 

That Luther and the Lutheran Reformation may be better 
understood and appreciated is one of the aims of this book, but 
not the prime and chief est. That the Holy Scriptures may be 
better understood, and that men and women, young and old, may 
be brought to Christ and find comfort and consolation in th 



eir 



PREFACE 



Christian faith, this is the chief aim of these pages. That this 
object may be attained it will be necessary that the book becomes 
a daily companion. So much time should be set aside each day 
as is required for the reading of one of the meditations. The 
Scripture passage should be carefully and thoughtfully read, 
then read the comments which follow. After that confess your 
Christian faith in the words of the Apostles' Creed and pray 
the Lord's Prayer. The whole exercise will not require much 
over five minutes, but will be most wholesome for your Chris- 
tian faith and comfort. Surely every Christian family should 
be able to devote so much time to the nourishment of their 
souls and to x spiritual communication with their God and Sav- 
iour. No man or woman is so busy but that every morning or 
evening five minutes can be spared for such Christian devotion. 

With the earnest wish and prayer that many may be brought 
to a clearer conception of their Christian faith, walk closer with 
their God and find comfort and consolation by means of this 
book, it is earnestly commended to all who are interested in 
their soul's welfare, and especially to those of the Lutheran 
Confession of Faith. 

Luther s Birthday, 19 14. JOHN SANDER. 

Lindstrom, Minn. 



M 



Styij math xb a lamp untn mg frrt att& a 
Ugljt unto mg patif. fa. us-, ins, 




ilattuanj Storai 



When eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of 
the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the 
angel before he was conceived in the womb. Luke 2:21. 

Circumcision was an external mark of God's people, by which 
they were distinguished from other nations. God has never 
left his people without a mark or a sign, by which the world 
may know where his people are to be found. The Jews were 
known by circumcision, that was their divine mark. Our mark 
is baptism and the body of Christ. Where there is baptism, 
there are Christians, be they where they will in the world. 

All this is immeasurably above and contrary to reason. If 
Abraham had followed reason he would not have believed that 
it was God who demanded circumcision. To our (natural) 
eyes it is such a foolish thing that there can scarcely be anything 
more absurd. The Jews had to endure great infamy and dis- 
grace on account of it. But such are all God's works and com- 
mandments, in order that haughty reason, which would be clever 
and wise, may be put to shame, may surrender its self-conceit 
and submit to God, and believe that whatver he appoints is 
most useful, honorable and wise. Thus we have baptism in the 



JANUARY SECOND 



New Testament in order that we should cling to it in faith and 
believe that we are thereby cleansed from sin and saved. So the 
works and words of God are contrary to reason, and this, in 
turn, is contrary to God and recoils at the signs that are spoken 
against. In all this God seeks to bring man's reason into 
captivity and make it subject to divine truth. 

It was customary to give the child its name in circumcision, 
as we see here and in the case of John the Baptist. His name 
is rightly called Jesus, that is, Saviour; "for he shall save his 
people from their sins." This comes to pass through faith, so 
that the naming of children signifies that by faith they have a 
name and are known to God. We are called Christians from 
him, are God's children and have the superabundant riches of 
his goodness, that our hearts may be free, joyous, peaceable and 
unterrified. 



Slamtarg g>Htmb 



By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your- 
selves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should 
boast. Eph. 2:8,9. 

God does not condemn or save any individual on account of 
his works. This is not the fault of our works, but of our nature. 
The person, nature and entire existence are corrupt in us 
because of Adam's fall. Therefore no work can be good in us, 
until our nature and personal life is changed and renewed. The 
tree is not good, therefore the fruits are bad. No one can 
become righteous by works or laws ; all works and efforts to be- 
come righteous and be saved are in vain as long as the nature and 
the person are not renewed. God will have us clearly under- 
stand that the fault lies entirely in the state of our nature, that 
its birth and origin are corrupt and sinful. This is original sin, 




JANUARY THIRD 



or the sin of the nature, or the sin of the person, the real, chief 
sin. If this sin did not exist there would be no actual sin. This 
sin is not committed like other sins; but it exists, lives, and com- 
mits all other sins, it is the essential sin, that sins not for an hour 
or a season, but wherever the person is and as long as he lives. 

God looks at this sin of the nature alone. This can be eradi- 
cated by no law, by no punishment; the grace of God alone, 
which makes the nature pure and new, must purge it away. The 
law only makes it manifest and teaches how to recognize it, 
but does not save from it; the law only restrains the hand or 
member, it cannot restrain the person and nature from being 
sinful. Just as little as it lies in one's power to be born and to 
receive natural existence, so little does it lie in his power to be 
without sin or to escape from it. He who created us must 
take it away. Therefore he first gives the law, by which man 
recognizes this sin and thirsts for grace; then he also gives the 
gospel and saves him. 



ilanuarg QJJjtrii 

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art 
my son, this day have I begotten theef Heb. 1 : 5. 

These words are a quotation from the second Psalm. We 
see that the reference here is plainly to Christ, against whom the 
Jews raged with Pilate, Herod and the chief priests. To Christ 
God sa) 7 s, "Thou art my Son." The Jews endeavor to evade 
this passage of the apostle. Unable to deny that the Psalm re- 
fers to a coming king and an anointed one, they assert that the 
allusion is to David, who was also a Christ. For they designate 
all kings "Messiahs" or "Christs," that is, anointed ones. But 
their interpretation will not hold. David never inherited the 
heathen, nor did the kingdom extend to the uttermost parts of 



JANUARY FOURTH 



the earth, as recorded of the king mentioned in the Psalm. To 
no man is it anywhere said in the Scriptures, "Thou art my 
Son." 

Even when the Jews admit that the allusion of the Psalm is 
to the Messiah, they resort to two evasions. They maintain 
that he is yet to come, that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah ; and 
that although called the son of God, he is not God. How 
shall we reply to them ? In the first place we have the testimony 
of experience that Jesus is he of whom the Psalm speaks; in 
Christ the prophecy is fulfilled and has become history. He 
was persecuted by kings and rulers. They sought to destroy 
him and only brought derision upon themselves in the attempt. 
They were themselves destroyed, as the Psalm says. Through- 
out the world Christ is recognized as Lord. No king, before 
or since, has ruled or can rule in equal extent. The apostle's 
reasoning, based on the fact that nowhere is it said to any angel, 
much less to any man, "Thou art my Son," sufficiently proves 
that Christ is God. He must be particularly God's Son, having 
a relation not shared by men and angels. That God does not 
include him among other sons but especially distinguishes him, 
indicates his superiority. He cannot be superior to angels with- 
out being true God, for angels are the highest order of beings. 
The apostle lays so much stress upon Scriptural authority that 
we are under no obligations to accept anything the Bible does 
not assert. Be certain you have full Scripture authority for all 
you accept. In all things not found in the Scriptures, ask as 
does the apostle here, "When did God ever assert it?" 

Jtamranj Jfawrtlj 

Ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal. 
3: 26. 

He who is under the law and works unwillingly is a servant. 
But whosoever has faith and works cheerfully is a child ; for 



JANUARY FOURTH I I 



he has received the Spirit of God through Christ. Now, the 
apostle names Christ, referring to the faith that believes and 
abides in Jesus Christ. No other faith is effective, no other 
faith is the right faith, let one believe in God as one will. Some 
there are, particularly among our modern high schoolmen, who 
say: Forgiveness of sins and justification depend altogether on 
the divine imputation of grace; God's imputation is sufficient. 
He to whom God does not reckon sin, is justified ; he to whom 
God reckons sin, is not justified. 

Were their theory true the entire New Testament would be 
of no significance. Christ would have labored foolishly and to 
no purpose in suffering for sin. God would have unnecessarily 
wrought mere mockery and deception; for he might easily 
without Christ's suffering have forgiven sins. Then, too, a 
faith other than faith in Christ might have justified and saved 
— a faith relying on God's gracious mercy not to impute sin. 
In contrast to this deplorable theory and abominable error, it is 
the apostle's practice to speak always of faith in Jesus Christ, 
and he makes mention of Jesus Christ with a frequency sur- 
prising to one unacquainted with the important doctrine of 
faith in him. Hence our learned university doctors no longer 
know Christ. They do not recognize the need of him and his 
benefits, nor understand the character of the gospel and the 
Xew Testament. They imagine Christ to be a mere Moses — 
a teacher who institutes laws and commandments showing how 
men may be righteous and lead a faultless life. Then they pro- 
ceed with free will and the workings of human nature, design 
ing thereby to fit themselves for grace, and basely storm 
heaven. 

Let us guard against the hellish poison of this false doctrine 
and not lose Christ, the consoling Saviour. Grace is given us 
gratuitously — without cost to ourselves — and yet the gift to 
us did cost another much and was obtained with a priceless, an 



12 JANUARY FIFTH 



infinite treasure — the Son of God himself. It is supremely es- 
sential to possess him who has accomplished the purchase for us. 
Nor is it possible to obtain grace otherwise than through him. 



Slamtarg SWtlj 

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord 
is risen upon thee. Isa. 60: I. 

We have frequently spoken of the little word glory. It means 
honor, brightness, splendor. The gospel is simply a grand re- 
port, a message, having its origin in a glorious reality ; it is not a 
mere empty proclamation. A glorious being is to be compared 
to a sun or a light. The sun is a fountain of light, and its luster 
is its glory, the diffusion, the distinction of that light. 

The gospel is God's glory and our light. It is our light in 
that it is the medium whereby his work is proclaimed, extolled, 
recognized and honored throughout the whole world. The gos- 
pel is not the actual brightness of the light, nor is it the light 
itself. It is the rising of the brightness, the approaching of the 
light. It is simply a manifestation of the light and brightness 
which existed from eternity. "In him was life, and the life was 
the light of men." The light did not arise, nor was it openly 
manifested, except through the gospel. Therefore the gospel is 
an expression of divine brightness and glory. 

It is called gospel — good message — because it reveals and 
proclaims divine blessings, divine glory, and divine honor or 
brightness. What is the brightness but the great and glorious 
riches of his goodness and grace poured out upon us ? How has 
grace appeared? Through the preaching of the gospel. The 
light and the glory are God himself. Christ says, "I am the 
light." It is plain that Isaiah is not here speaking of the rising 
of Christ in the sense of his coming birth. He refers to the 



JANUARY SIXTH 1 3 



rising of the gospel after Christ's ascension. Through the gos- 
pel Christ is spiritually risen and glorified in the hearts of be- 
lievers, bringing them salvation. 



ilatwanj ^txtlf 

There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, 
Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen 
his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matt. 2 : 1,2. 

How these wise men could see in this star a sign that unmis- 
takably signified a new-born king, I do not know. Perhaps they 
read in their histories and chronicles that aforetime the birth of 
other kings had been signified in the heavens by a star. They 
knew very well that the Jews were the chosen people of God, 
who were and had been especially favored of God above all 
other people. As this was such a beautiful star they likely 
thought that God had given this people a new king. Perhaps 
they knew all by divine revelation. 

At first these wise men did not regard this king as God, but 
took him for a temporal king. They came to Jerusalem, 
the capital city, hoping to find him amid the splendor of the 
king's palace. For the star, which they saw over the country of 
the Jews at their home in the east, must have disappeared as 
they did not see it on their journey until they proceeded from 
Jerusalem to Bethlehem. So they also worshiped him after the 
manner of those eastern countries and not as though they con- 
sidered him God. They did not concern themselves about what 
this king would be in the future, or what would happen to 
him. They only ask where he is to be found. 

But, my dear hearer, it does not matter much whether you 
know all about the arts of nature and the wisdom of the world. 



14 JANUARY SEVENTH 



Be satisfied with what your experience and common sense teach 
you. It is enough for you to know that in the summer other 
work must be done than in the winter ; that you know how to at- 
tend to your farm, stock, home and children. Beyond this think 
only how you may know Christ. He will teach you how you 
may know yourself, who you are, and what power lieth in you. 
Then you will know God and yourself, which the masters of 
the arts of nature and the wisdom of this world do not learn. 



Samtarg &*w ntf; 

Arisej shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord 
is risen upon thee. Isa. 60: I. 

We learn from our text what the gospel is, and what is its 
message. It is the coming of light, the rising of divine glory. 
It speaks only of divine glory, divine honor and fame. It exalts 
only the work of God — his goodness and grace toward us. It 
teaches the necessity of our receiving God's work for us, his 
grace and goodness, even God himself, if we would secure sal- 
vation. The gospel produces in us a twofold effect. First, it 
rejects our natural reason, our human light. Had we within 
ourselves light instead of darkness, it would not be necessary for 
God to send the light to rise upon us. This text forcibly expels 
and severely condemns all natural wisdom, all human reason ; 
these are absolute darkness, therefore it is necessary for the light 
to come. So we should guard against all human doctrines and 
the conceits of reason as darkness, rejected and condemned of 
God ; we should awake and arise to behold this light, and follow 
it alone. 

The gospel casts down all the glory and pride of our own 
works. We cannot draw comfort nor derive honor from them. 
If there were in us anything worthy of honor and glory, the 



JANUARY EIGHTH I 5 



divine honor and glory would rise in us to no purpose. Men 
may, it is true, have their own nature and their self-righteous- 
ness, and from these derive temporal honor, praise and glory be- 
fore their fellows as though they were no sinners. But before 
God they are sinful, destitute of glory and unable to boast of 
possessing him and his blessings. 

No one can be saved unless he have within himself the glory 
of God and be able to comfort himself solely with God and his 
blessings and to glory in these. So the gospel condemns all our 
efforts and exalts only the goodness and the grace of God, and 
therefore God himself. It permits us to console ourselves only 
with him and to glory in no other. 



ilattuanj 1Etgl|ilj 



Love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom. 13 : 10. 

We must properly distinguish between faith and love. Faith 
deals with the heart and love with works. Faith removes our 
sins, renders us acceptable, justifies us. Being accepted and jus- 
tified in person, we have love imparted to us by the Holy Spirit, 
and we delight in doing good. It is the nature of the law to 
attack our person and demand good works ; and it will not cease 
its demands until it gains its purpose. We cannot do good works 
without the spirit of love. The law constrains us to know our 
imperfections, and to recognize the necessity of becoming alto- 
gether different individuals, so that we may satisfy the law. The 
law does not exact so much of the heart as it does of works; in 
fact, it demands nothing but works and ignores the heart. It 
causes the individual to see that he must become an entirely 
different person. But faith, when it comes, creates a nature 
capable of accomplishing the works which the law demands. 

It cannot in every case be said that faith fulfils the law. It, 



1 6 JANUARY NINTH 



however, prepares the way and enables us to fulfil its demands. 
The law constrains us — teaches us that we must be changed be- 
fore we can accomplish its works ; it makes us conscious of our 
inability to fulfil it. On the other hand, love and works do not 
change or justify us. Our love and our works are evidence of 
justification and of a change, since these are impossible until the 
individual is free from sin and made righteous. 

This explanation is given to enable us to perceive the true 
nature of the law, of faith and of love; to ascribe to each its 
own mission; and rightly to understand the Scripture declara- 
tions in their harmonious relations, namely, that while faith 
justifies, it does not fulfil the law, and that while love does not 
justify, it does fulfil the law. 



Sanuary Nmtlj 

Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that 
loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Rom. 13:8. 

Legal obligations make us debtors to men, as, for example, 
when one individual has a claim upon another for debt. The 
duties and tribute, the obedience and honor we owe to politi- 
cal government are also of this legal character. Though per- 
sonally these things are not essential to the Christian — they 
do not justify him or make him righteous — yet, because he 
must live here on earth, he is under obligation, so far as outward 
conduct is concerned, to put himself on a level with other men 
in these things, and generally help maintain temporal order and 
peace. Christ paid tribute money as a debt, notwithstanding 
he had told Peter he was under no obligation to do so. 

Another obligation is love, when a Christian voluntarily 
makes himself a servant of all men. Paul says : "Though I was 
free from all men, I made myself servant unto all, that I might 



JANUARY TENTH 17 



gain the more." This is not a requirement of human laws; no 
one who fails in this duty is censured or punished for neglect of 
the obligation to submit to and serve a fellow man. This fact 
is very apparent. Let one have wealth, and as long as he re- 
frains from appropriating his neighbor's goods, sullying his honor 
or injuring his person, he is, in the eyes of the law, righteous. 
Laws made for restraint of the outward conduct are directed 
only against evil works, which they prohibit and punish. Good 
works are left to voluntary performance. Civil law does not 
extort them by threats and punishments, but commends and 
rewards them, as does the Law of Moses. 

Paul would teach Christians so to conduct themselves toward 
men and civil authority as to give no occasion for complaint. 
He would not have them fail to satisfy the claims of legal obli- 
gation, but rather to go beyond its requirements, making them- 
selves debtors voluntarilv to those who have no claim on them. 



I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that 
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 
God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. 12: I. 

Paul is preaching to those Christians already godly by faith, 
who are not to be restrained by commandment, but to be ad- 
monished. The object is to secure voluntary renunciation of 
their sinful nature. A preacher of grace persuades and incites 
by calling attention to the goodness and mercy of God. The 
latter does not desire works prompted by an unwilling spirit, nor 
service that is not the expression of a cheerful heart. He desires 
that a joyous and willing spirit shall incite to his service. 

Paul makes use of three words, "living," "holy," "acceptable," 
to teach that the sacrifices of the Old Testament are repealed. 

Devotional Readings 2 



JANUARY ELEVENTH 



They consisted of bullocks, sheep and goats. The life of these 
was not spared. They were slain, burned and consumed. But 
the New Testament sacrifice is a wonderful offering. Though 
slain, it still lives. 

The word "living" has reference to spiritual and not to tem- 
poral life. He who keeps his body in subjection and mortifies 
its lusts does not live to the world ; he does not lead the life of 
the world. The Christian is bodily in the world, but he does 
not live after the flesh. Such a life is, before God, eternal and 
a true, living sacrifice. None of the Old Testament sacrifices 
were "holy," except in an external and temporal sense, but the 
living sacrifice is holy before God, is designed for the service of 
God and employed in his honor. They who render this living, 
holy sacrifice are happy and assured of their acceptance with 
God. 

This our reasonable service is rightly called a spiritual service 
of the heart, performed in the faith and knowledge of God. 
Paul rejects all service not performed in faith as entirely un- 
reasonable, even if it has the appearance of spiritual life and of 
great holiness. 

ilatwarg lElwettitj 

His mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt 
zvith us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 
Luke 2 : 48. 

The holy Virgin was a real martyr for three days, and these 
days were harder for her than was the external pain of martyr- 
dom to other saints. She had had such anxiety on her Son's 
account that she could not have suffered any more bitter pain. 
For that is the greatest torture and woe, when the heart is at- 
tacked and tortured. That is only half-suffering when the body 



JANUARY ELEVENTH 1 9 

alone is afflicted, but when the heart is compelled to endure 
suffering, only great and noble spirits, with special grace and 
strength, are able to endure it. But why does God permit these 
afflictions to come upon his loved ones? 

First, that he may guard his own against presumption; that 
great saints, who have received special grace and gifts from 
God, may not presume to depend upon themselves. For if they 
should at all times be strong in spirit and experience only joy 
and pleasure, they might finally fall into the fatal pride of the 
devil, which despises God and trusts in self. Thus God keeps 
them in humility, so that they do not become proud and carnally 
secure in regard to their faith and holiness, as Peter did, when 
he boasted his willingness to lay down his life for Christ. 

Secondly, God permits his saints to suffer these trials as an 
example to others, to alarm the carnally secure and to comfort 
the timid and alarmed. The wicked and impenitent may learn 
from this how to amend their ways, keep themselves from sin, 
since they can see that God deals even with the saints in a way 
to produce anxiety. Such examples are intended to serve as a 
means of comfort to alarmed and anxious consciences, when they 
see that God has not only attacked them, but also the most ex- 
alted saints and permitted them to suffer the same trials and 
anxieties. 

Thirdly, God does this that he may teach his saints to pre- 
pare themselves to find Christ and keep him. Mary and Joseph 
sought the child Jesus for three days without finding him 
either in Jerusalem or among their friends and acquaintances, 
until they came to the temple where he sat among the teachers 
and where the Scriptures and God's Word are studied. 



20 JANUARY TWELFTH 



lattuarg Jtfatrlftij 

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rom. 
12: 14. 

The apostle reminds us that we are to conduct ourselves in 
a Christian manner toward our persecutors, who, to a great ex- 
tent, are to blame for the distress of the saints. It is well to 
observe that we are not merely advised, but commanded, to love 
our enemies, to do them good and to speak well of them; such 
is the fruit of the Spirit. To "bless" our persecutors means to 
desire only good for them in body and soul. It is inconsistent 
for a Christian to curse even his most bitter enemy or an evil- 
doer ; for he is commanded to bear the gospel upon his lips. The 
dove did not bring a poisonous branch or a thistle sprig to Noah 
in the ark ; she brought an olive leaf in her mouth. So the gos- 
pel is simply a gracious, blessed, glad and healing word. It 
brings only blessing and grace to the whole world. No curse, 
only pure lips of blessing and not of cursing. If they curse they 
are not the lips of a Christian. 

It is necessary, however, to distinguish between cursing and 
censuring or reproving. Reproof and punishment greatly differ 
from cursing and malediction. To curse means to invoke evil, 
while censuring carries the thought of displeasure at existing 
evil, and an effort to remove it. In fact, cursing and censuring 
are opposed to each other. Christ himself censured, or reproved. 
He called the Jews a generation of vipers, children of the devil, 
hypocrites, blind dolts, liars and the like. He did not curse 
them to perpetuate their evils; he rather desired the evils re- 
moved. 

But the strong argument is urged that the saints of the Scrip- 
tures not only censured, but cursed. Jacob cursed his sons, Reu- 
ben, Simon and Levi. A great part of the Law of Moses is 



JANUARY THIRTEENTH 21 

made up of curses. What shall we say to these things? We 
answer: Without the Spirit's direction, no one can rightly un- 
derstand and imitate such examples of cursing. When the devil, 
through his followers, resists and obstructs the Word of God — 
the channel of blessing — the blessing is impeded, and in God's 
sight a curse rests upon the blessing. Then it is the office of 
faith to come out with a curse, desiring the removal of the ob- 
struction that God's blessing may be unhindered. 



ilamtarg Stytrtonilj 

Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which Were 
spoken of him. Luke 2: 33. 

What are the marvelous things spoken of him ? They are the 
things of which Simeon had spoken immediately before, when 
in the temple he took the child Jesus upon his arms, saying: 
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according 
to thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou 
hast prepared before the face of all people ; a light to lighten the 
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." They marveled 
that this aged and holy man stood there before them in the tem- 
ple, took the child in his arms and spoke of him so exultingly, 
calling him the light of the world, a Saviour of all nations, a 
glory of all the people of Israel. 

It must indeed excite wonder that such things were pro- 
claimed openly by Simeon in that public and sacred place with 
reference to that poor and insignificant child, whose mother was 
so humble and lowly and whose father Joseph was not wealthy. 
How could such a child be considered the Saviour of all men, 
the light of the Gentiles, and the glory and honor of all Israel? 
At present, after we have had so many proofs of Christ's great- 



22 JANUARY FOURTEENTH 

ness, these words no longer seem so wonderful; but then, when 
nothing as yet was known of Jesus, they were indeed marvelous. 
Joseph and Mary believed them nevertheless, and on that very 
account they marveled. If they had not believed them, the 
words of Simeon would have appeared insignificant to them 
and not at all wonderful. 

If Joseph and Mary had judged according to the outward 
appearances, they would have considered Christ no more than 
any other poor child. But they disregard the outward appear- 
ance and cling to the words of Simeon with a firm faith, there- 
fore they marvel at his speech. Thus we must also disregard 
all the senses when contemplating the works of God, and only 
cling to his words, that our eyes and our senses may not offend 
us. The fact that they marveled at the words of Simeon is also 
to teach us that the Word of God is never preached in vain. 
The Word of God must produce results, even if there are only 
a few who believe it. There are always some who receive it 
with joy and admiration. 



ilatwarg 3&nwtnv&\\ 



Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an 
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to 
God by Jesus Christ. I Pet. 2 : 5. 

The whole world regards the priest's office ■ — his service and 
his dignity — as representing the acme of nobility and exalta- 
tion ; and so it truly is. If any one would be a priest and exalted 
before God, let him set about the work of offering up his body 
to God ; in other words, let him be humble, let him be nothing 
in the eyes of the world. 

I will let every man decide for himself the difference between 
the outward priesthood of dazzling character and the internal, 



JANUARY FOURTEENTH 23 

spiritual priesthood. The first is confined to a very few individ- 
uals; the second Christians commonly share. One was or- 
dained of men, independently of the Word of God; the other 
was established through the Word, irrespective of human devi- 
ces. In that, the skin is besmeared with material oil; in this, 
the heart is internally anointed with the Holy Spirit. That 
applauds and extols its works ; this proclaims and magnifies the 
grace of God, and his glory. In fact, the two priesthoods accord 
about as well as Christ and Barabbas, as light and darkness, as 
God and the world. The Christian priesthood will not admit 
of appointment. The priest is not made. He must be born a 
priest and inherit his office. I refer to the new birth — the 
birth of water and the spirit. Thus all Christians become 
priests, children of God and co-heirs with Christ the Most 
High Priest. 

Men generally consider the title of priest glorious and honor- 
able; but the duties and the sacrifices of the office are rarely 
acceptable. The Christian priesthood costs life, property, honor, 
friends and all worldly things ; all this is to be endured, not for 
the profit of oneself, but for the benefit of his neighbor and 
for the honor and glory of God. For so Christ offered up his 
body. This priesthood is glorious. The suffering and work of 
Christ is to be viewed as grace bestowed on us, a blessing con- 
ferred, requiring the exercise of faith and our acceptance of the 
salvation offered ; then also, as an example for us to follow. We 
are to offer up ourselves for our neighbor's benefit and for the 
honor of God. He who so does is a Christian. This is what 
Peter calls offering sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ. 



24 JANUARY FIFTEENTH 

Sfamtarg 3FtftmtiIf 

And Simeon blessed them. Luke 2 : 34. 

This blessing means nothing except that he wished them hap- 
piness and joy, honor and all prosperity. This blessing seems 
to be a useless and trivial matter, for people generally do this 
and wish each other all that is good. But to bless Christ and 
his parents is a great and exceptional deed, for the reason that 
Christ and our nature are entirely opposed to each other. Christ 
condemns all that the world elects, gives us the cross to bear and 
to suffer all evil, deprives the world of its pleasures, possessions 
and honors, and teaches that men deal in those things which are 
altogether foolish and sinful. Then they begin to blaspheme 
and persecute Christ and his disciples; the whole world is full 
of those who curse him and wish him all evil, disgrace and 
misfortune, and there are only a few who really bless him. 

There are indeed some who praise him, because he does what 
they desire and leaves them as they are. When, however, he 
begins to be Christ to them and they are required to forsake 
their works and to let him alone dwell within them, they flee 
and blaspheme. There are also some who believe that, if they 
were to see the infant Christ with his mother before them, as did 
Simeon, they would also joyously bless him. But they would 
certainly stumble at his childhood, poverty and contemptible ap- 
pearance. They prove it by disregarding, hating and persecut- 
ing such poverty and humble appearance in Christ's members, 
although they might still find Christ, their head, among them 
daily. If they then shun the cross and hate its contemptible 
appearance, they would certainly do the same thing if they were 
to see him with their eyes. But Simeon was of a different mind. 
Outward appearance did not cause him to stumble, and there- 
fore he does not bless Christ alone, but also his father and 
mother. 



JANUARY SIXTEENTH 25 

Thus, in blessing the child, Simeon as a preacher and lover of 
the cross and an enemy of the world, gives a remarkable example 
of exalting and honoring Christ, who was then despised, cursed 
and rejected in his own person. He is even now treated in the 
same manner in his members, who for his sake endure poverty, 
disgrace, death and ignominy; yet no one will come to their 
relief, receive and bless them. 



Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by 
the reneiving of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, 
and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Rom. 12: 2. 

We must be careful to follow neither the customs of the 
world nor our own reason or plausible theories. We must con- 
stantly subdue our disposition and control our will, not obeying 
the dictates of reason and desire. We are always to conduct 
ourselves in a manner unlike the way of the world. Thus we 
shall be daily changed or renewed in our minds. That is, we 
come each day to place greater value on the things condemned 
by the world. The mind of the world is altogether unlike the 
Christian's mind. It not only continues unchanged and unre- 
newed in its old disposition, but is obdurate and extremely 
stubborn. 

God's will is ever good and perfect, ever gracious; but it is 
not at all times so regarded of men. Indeed, human reason 
imagines it to be evil, unfriendly, abominable, because what 
reason esteems highest, best and holiest, God's will regards as 
nothing, as worthy of death. Therefore, Christian experience 
must come to the rescue and decide. It must feel and prove, 
must test and ascertain, whether he is prompted by a sincere and 
gracious will. He who perseveres and learns to know himself 



26 JANUARY SEVENTEENTH 

in this way will go forward in his experience, finding God's will 
so gracious and pleasing that he would not exchange it for all 
the world's wealth. He will discover that acceptance of God's 
will affords him more happiness, even in poverty, disgrace and 
adversity, than is the lot of any worldling in the midst of earthly 
honors and pleasures. He will finally arrive at a degree of per- 
fection making him inclined to exchange life for death, and with 
Paul to desire to depart that sin may no more live in him, and 
that the will of God may be done perfectly in himself in every 
relation. Paul, however, does not consider the Christian abso- 
lutely free from sin. Where transformation and renewal are 
necessary, something of the old and sinful nature ever remains. 
This is not imputed to Christians, because they daily endeavor 
to effect transformation and renovation. 

ilattuarg &mmttmtlf 

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother. 
Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel; 
and for a sign which shall he spoken against. Luke 2 : 34. 

Why does not Simeon say this to the father also? Because 
Jesus was her own child, and all that happened to him naturally 
happened also to her and caused her real pain. Simeon perhaps 
also addressed Mary alone for the reason that Joseph was not 
to live until the time of the suffering of Christ, which the mother 
would experience alone; and in addition to all this sorrow she 
was to be a poor and lonely widow, and Christ was to suffer 
as a poor orphan. Mary lived in all the three states of virginity, 
of matrimony, and of widowhood, the latter being the most 
pitiable, without any protection or aid. A virgin has her par- 
ents, a wife her husband, but the widow is alone. 

Simeon declares that Christ is set for the fall and rising again 
of many in Israel. Christ, however, is not the cause of the fall, 



JANUARY EIGHTEENTH 27 

but the presumption of the Jews is the cause. Christ came to be 
a light and Saviour of all the world, so that all might be justi- 
fied and saved by faith in him. If this is to be brought about, 
all other righteousness in ourselves, sought outside of Christ 
with works, must be rejected. The Jews would not hear of 
this. Thus they take offense at faith, fall deeper into unbelief 
and become hardened in their own righteousness, so that they 
even persecuted with all their might all who believed. All who 
would be saved by their own righteousness do the same thing. 
They depend upon their works, and when faith in Christ is de- 
manded they stumble and fall. 

Christ had been promised only to the people of Israel by the 
prophets ; and these had announced that many among that people 
would fall away on account of their self-righteousness. This is 
indeed a terrible example to us Gentiles, to whom nothing has 
been promised, but out of pure grace we have unexpectedly been 
brought into the Kingdom and have risen through Christ. The 
example of Israel's fall should touch our hearts, that we may not 
also fall, or perhaps fall more grievously than the Jews and 
Turks, being seduced by Antichrist and bearing the name of 
Christ to the dishonor of God and to our own injury. 



ilatwarg iEtgtfiwtttij 

They sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 
And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusa- 
lem, seeking him. Luke 2: 44, 45. 

Here you see what Mary experienced. Although she is the 
mother of a child in whom she might have gloried before all 
mothers, yet you perceive how God deprived her of all hap- 
piness. She had reason to fear that God was angry with her 
and would no longer have her to be the mother of his Son. 
Only those who have passed through similar experiences will 



28 JANUARY EIGHTEENTH 

understand what she suffered. Therefore we should apply this 
example to ourselves, for it was not recorded for her sake, but 
for our benefit. We should profit by her example and be pre- 
pared to bear our sorrow, should a like affliction of losing Christ 
befall us. 

When God vouchsafes to us a strong faith and a firm trust 
in him, so that we are assured that he is our gracious God and 
we can depend upon him, then we are in. paradise. But when 
God permits our hearts to be discouraged and we believe he 
takes from us Christ our Lord; when our conscience feels that 
we have lost him and amidst trembling and despair our con- 
fidence is gone, then we are truly in misery and distress. Even 
if we are not conscious of any special sin, yet in such a condition 
we tremble and doubt whether God still cares for us; just as 
Mary here doubts and knows not whether God still deems her 
worthy to be the mother of his Son. Only strong minds can 
endure such temptations, and there are not many people whom 
God tests to this degree. 

God does this especially to guard his children against a two- 
fold danger. First, being strong in their own mind and ar- 
rogant, they might ultimately depend upon themselves and 
believe they are able to accomplish everything in their own 
strength and become presumptuous and overconfident. Secondly, 
he wants to give us an example. For if we had no examples 
of saints who passed through the same experiences we should 
be unable to bear our trials and would imagine that we alone 
are thus afflicted. But when we see that Mary and other saints 
have also suffered we are comforted; for their example shows 
us that we should patiently wait until God strengthens us. 



JANUARY NINETEENTH 20, 



ilanuarg ^iimttmtif 



There was one Anna, . . . she was of a great age and had 
lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she 
was a widow of about for score and four years, which departed 
not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers 
night and day. Luke 2: 36, 37. 

Anna lived with a husband seven years, and at this time was 
a widow of eighty-four years. The number seven is commonly 
taken to signify our temporal life, because all time is measured 
by the seven days of the week, which is the first and best standard 
for the measurement of time. God first created days and ap- 
pointed seven of them as a definite period of time. Of weeks 
were made months, and of months years, into which our whole 
life is divided. These seven years therefore signify the whole 
course of the temporal life and conduct of the saints of old. 

Paul explains that a husband signifies the law. As a woman 
is bound to her husband while he liveth, so all are bound to 
the law who live under it. Now the law has been given to no 
people on earth except this Anna, the Jewish people, who were 
entrusted with the oracles of God. Therefore Anna, who lived 
seven years with her husband, signifies the people of Israel under 
the law, in their outward conduct and temporal life. 

According to Luke the Holy Spirit shows that this saintly 
Anna, the holy people of old, was not simply under the law 
and a bond-servant; she also walked in the freedom of faith 
and the Spirit. This is signified by the many years of 
her widowhood, meaning the spiritual life of faith led by the 
saints of old. For the widowhood signifies freedom from the 
law. Thus the life under the law and the life of faith existed 
side by side. As to their souls, the believers of old were justified 
without the works of the law, alone by faith, and in this respect 



30 JANUARY TWENTIETH 

they were truly widows; but as to their bodies and external 
conduct, they were subject to the law. They did not believe 
that they were justified by works, but having been justified by 
faith, they kept the law voluntarily, cheerfully and to the glory 
of God. He who lives in this manner may also do the works 
of the law, for Christ and the apostles also have kept the law. 
These are the people who at the same time live seven years with 
a husband and about four score years without a husband, who 
at the same time are free from the law and yet under the law. 



ilatwary Stowttrtlj 



Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all sins. Prov. 
10: 12. 

Where hatred and enmity dwell in the heart, they must 
inevitably stir up strife and bring misfortune. Animosity cannot 
restrain itself. It either bursts out in pernicious language, clan- 
destinely uttered against the object of enmity, or it openly 
demeans itself in a manner indicating its ill will. Hence follow 
reveling, cursing, quarreling and fighting, and, when wholly 
unrestrained, cruelty and murder. Hatred has but one desire, 
namely, that every one be an enemy to his neighbor and speak 
the worst about him, and if he hears aught in his neighbor's 
favor, he puts upon it the very worst construction with the 
result that the other is embittered and in turn comes to hate, 
curse and revile. Thus the fire burns until only discord and 
mischief can obtain. 

On the other hand love is virtue pure and precious. It 
neither utters, nor thinks any evil of its neighbor. It rather 
covers sin; not one sin, nor two, but a "multitude of sins." 
Love has no desire to reflect itself in a neighbor's sins and 
maliciously rejoice in them. It conducts itself as having neither 



JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST 3 I 

seen, nor heard them. If they cannot be overlooked, it readily 
forgives, and as far as possible mends matters. Where nothing 
else can be done, it endures the sins of a neighbor without 
stirring up strife and making a bad matter worse. Where people 
dwell together there will be mutual transgressions; it cannot 
be otherwise. No one will always do what is pleasing to others, 
and each is liable to commit open wrong. Since men must live 
together in their respective stations of life, he who would live 
peaceably must so control himself as to be able to bear with 
others, to overlook their imperfections, to cover their trans- 
gressions and thus avert further resulting evil. 

Now if you would live as a Christian and enjoy peace in the 
world, you must make every effort to restrain your anger and 
not to give way to revenge. You must suppress these passions, 
subduing your hatred by love, and be able to overlook and 
bear, even though you have to suffer great pain and injustice. 
So doing you will develop a noble character fitted to accomplish 
much good through patience and humility, to allay and abolish 
enmity and strife, and thereby to reform and convert others. 



Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with 
God and man. Luke 2 : 52. 

Some inquisitive people who are not satisfied with the in- 
formation given in the Scriptures have desired to know what 
Christ did in his childhood, and have received their reward for 
their curiosity. Some fool or knave has fabricated a legendary 
book on the childhood of Christ, and has not been afraid to write 
down his lies and frauds, relating how Christ went to school 
and a great deal of absurd and blasphemous tomfoolery. Thus 
with his lies he jests at the expense of the Lord, whom all the 



32 JANUARY TWENTY-FIRST 

angels adore and fear, and before whom all creatures tremble, 
so that this rascal would have deserved to have a millstone 
hanged about his neck and to have been sunk in the depths 
of the sea, because he did not esteem the Lord of all more than 
to make him an object of his buffoonery. 

Christ never went to school, for no schools like ours existed 
at that time. He did not even have an elementary education. 
The Jews marveled, saying: "How knoweth this man letters, 
having never learned?" Yet they were astonished at his wis- 
dom. They thought it strange that a layman and the son of 
a carpenter should have such great knowledge, having never 
studied. Therefore they were offended in him and thought 
that he must be possessed of an evil spirit. Let us then be 
satisfied with the narrative of the gospel, which tells us enough 
of his childhood. Luke writes that he "increased in wisdom 
and stature." Later on he writes that he was subject to his 
parents. What else should he have related? He was brought 
up like other children, with the exception that, as some children 
excel others in ability, Christ was an extraordinary, clever child. 
Thus no more could be written concerning him than is recorded 
by Luke. The time for performing miracles had not yet come. 

Some are perplexed by the words of Luke according to which 
Christ, although he was God, "increased in wisdom and stature." 
We must understand the words of Luke as applying simply to 
the human nature of Christ, which was an instrument and 
temple of the Godhead. As he grew in stature his reason de- 
veloped, and with the development of his reason he became 
stronger in the Spirit and filled with wisdom before God, in 
himself and before men. 



JANUARY TWENTY-SECOND 33 



Let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith. Rom. 
12: 6. 

Prophecy is of two kinds: one is the foretelling of future 
events, a gift or power possessed by all the prophets under the 
Old Testament dispensation, and by the apostles; the other is 
the explanation of the Scriptures. Now, the gospel being the 
last prophetic message to be delivered previous to the time of 
judgment, and to predict the events of that period, I presume 
Paul had reference here simply to that form of prophecy which 
is the explanation of the Scriptures. This form is common, ever 
prevails, and is profitable to Christians; the other form is rare. 
When he says prophecy must be according to the proportion of 
faith, it is plain enough that he does not refer to the foretelling 
of future events. 

Paul does not attach so much importance to the prediction 
of future events. Such predictions, though they may gratify 
the curiosity of men concerning the fate of kings, princes and 
others of prominence in the world, are unnecessary prophecies 
under the New Testament dispensation. They neither teach 
the Christian faith, nor contribute to its strength. Hence this 
form of prophecy may be regarded among the least of God's 
gifts. Nay, it sometimes proceeds from the devil. But the 
ability to explain the Scriptures is the noblest, the best prophetic 
gift. The Old Testament prophets derived their title to the 
name chiefly from leading the people of their day in the way 
of faith by explaining the divine Word. These things had much 
more to do with their title than the fact of their making occa- 
sional predictions concerning earthly kings and temporal affairs. 
The faith whereto their prophecies conformed is perpetual. 

It is of much significance that Paul recognizes faith as the 

Devotional Readings 3 



34 JANUARY TWENTY-THIRD 

controlling judge and rule in all matters of doctrine and prophe- 
cy. To faith everything must bow. By faith must all doctrines 
be judged and held. You see whom Paul would make doctors 
of the Scriptures — men of faith and no others. These should 
be the judges of all doctrines. Faith is and must be lord over all 
teachers. Popes, councils and all the world, with their doctrines, 
must yield authority to the most insignificant Christian with 
faith, and his decision of their doctrines and laws is to be ac- 
cepted. It is inconsistent to reject the judgment of him whom 
God himself teaches. 



Slanttarg ©wentg4tjtr& 

How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be 
about my Father s business? Luke 2 : 49. 

All things belong to the Father. He gave us the creatures 
to use in our earthly life according to our best understanding. 
One thing he reserved for himself, which is called holy and 
God's own, and which we are to receive from him in a special 
manner. This is his holy Word, through which he rules the 
hearts and consciences, and makes holy and saves us. Hence 
Christ is in his Father's business, when he speaks to us through 
his Word and by means of it leads us to the Father. 

He reproves his parents because they had erred and had 
sought him among earthly and human affairs, among friends 
and acquaintances. He will not permit himself to be found 
in anything outside of his Word. He does not wish to be 
worldly, nor in that which is worldly, but in that which is his 
Father's, as he always manifested from his birth through his 
entire life. He was in the world, but he did not conform to 
the world. To Pilate he said: "My kingdom is not of this 
world." He waits alone on that which is his Father's, i. e., the 



JANUARY TWENTY-FOURTH 35 

Word. Faith has no other foundation to stand on. Hence, 
the wisdom, thoughts and hopes of the mother of Christ and of 
Joseph must fail while they were seeking him in other places. 
For they did not seek him as they ought, but as flesh and blood 
do, which always gropes after other comfort than that of the 
Word ; for it always wants what it can see and feel, and acquire 
by meditation and reason. 

God permits them to fail in order that they may learn that 
all comfort not based on the Word, but on flesh and blood, on 
men and all other creatures, must inevitably fail. Here every- 
thing must be abandoned : friends, acquaintances, the whole city 
of Jerusalem, and everything belonging to these and to men; 
for all this neither gives, nor aids comfort, until the Lord is 
sought in the temple, since he is in that which is his Father's. 
There he can truly be found and the heart is made to rejoice, 
otherwise it would have to remain without the least comfort. 



ilatwarg afamttg-ftmrilj 

As we have many members in one body, and all members have 
not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, 
and every one members of one another. Rom. 12: 4, 5. 

This apt and beautiful simile clearly teaches the equality of 
all Christians; that one common faith should satisfy all; that 
gifts are not to be regarded as making one better, happier and 
more righteous than another, in the eyes of God. All the mem- 
bers perform certain functions of the body because they are 
members of it; and no member has its place through its own 
efforts or its own merits. It was born a member, before the 
exercise of office was possible. It acts by virtue of being a mem- 
ber; it does not become a member by virtue of its action. It 
derives its existence and all its powers from the body, regardless 



36 JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH 

of its own exertions. The body, however, exercises its members 
as occasion requires. The eye has not attained its place because 
of its power of seeing — not because it has merited its office as 
an organ of sight for the body. In the very beginning it derived 
its very existence and its peculiar functions of sight from the 
body. It cannot therefore boast in the slightest degree that by 
its independent power of seeing it has deserved its place as an 
eye. It has the honor and right of its position solely through 
its birth, not because of any effort on its part. 

Similarly, no Christian can boast that his own efforts have 
made him a member of Christ, with other Christians, in the 
common faith. Nor can he by any work constitute himself a 
Christian. He performs good works by virtue of having become 
a Christian, in the new birth, through faith, regardless of any 
merit of his own. It is evident, then, that good works do not 
make a Christian, but Christians bring forth good works. The 
fruit does not make the tree, but the tree produces the fruit. 
Effect does not produce cause, but cause produces effect. Now, 
if good works do not make a Christian, do not secure the grace 
of God and blot out our sins, they do not merit heaven. One 
cannot secure it by his works, but by being a member of Christ ; 
an experience effected through faith in the Word of God. 
None but a Christian can enjoy heaven. 



Let both grow together, until the harvest. Matt. 13: 20. 

We should not marvel nor be terrified if there spring up 
among us many different false teachings and false faiths. Satan 
is constantly among the children of God. These words teach 
us how we should conduct ourselves toward these heretics and 
false teachers. We are not to uproot nor destroy them. The 



JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH 37 

servants who are able to distinguish the tares from the wheat 
must indeed be very spiritual, but even then he says publicly, 
"Let both grow together." We have to do here with God's 
Word alone; for in this matter he who errs to-day may find 
the truth to-morrow. Who knows when the Word of God 
may touch his heart ? But if he be burned at the stake, or other- 
wise destroyed, it is assured that he can never find the truth ; 
the Word of God is snatched from him and he must be lost, 
who otherwise might have been saved. Hence the Lord says, 
the wheat will also be uprooted if we weed out the tares, which 
is something awful in the eyes of God and never to be justified. 

From this observe what furious and raging people we have 
been these many years, in that we desired to force others to 
believe; the Turks with the sword, heretics with fire, the Jews 
with death, and thus root out the tares by our own power, as if 
we were the ones who could reign over hearts and spirits, and 
make them pious and right, which God's Word alone must do. 
By such murder we separate the people from the Word, so that 
it cannot possibly work upon them, and we thus bring with one 
stroke a double murder upon ourselves, in that we murder the 
body for time and the soul for eternity, and afterwards say we 
did God a service by our actions, and wish to merit something 
special in heaven. 

Therefore this passage should in all reason terrify the grand 
inquisitors and murderers of the people, even where they are 
brazen-faced, and should have to deal with true heretics. But 
at present they burn the true saints and are themselves heretics. 
What is that but rooting up the wheat, and pretending to ex- 
terminate the tares, like insane people? But it is apparent that 
they are themselves tares and evil seed, having fallen from the 
faith and trusting in their works. 



38 JANUARY TWENTY-SIXTH 



Sfatmarg Stoienig-mxtlj 



Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and 
persecute you. Matt. 5 : 44. 

You may say, shall evil go unpunished ? What would be the 
result were all evil to be tolerated and covered up? Would it 
not encourage the wicked in their wickedness until life would 
not be safe to any one ? It is truly the office of civil government 
and also of the father of every family to show anger against 
every evil, and to punish and restrain it. Every pastor and 
preacher, yes, every good Christian, is commissioned to ad- 
monish and censure when he sees a neighbor committing sin, 
just as one brother in a family should admonish another. But 
to be angry with evil and to inflict official punishment is a dif- 
ferent thing from being filled with hatred and revenge, or 
holding ill will and be unforgiving. 

Is it not inconsistent with the character of love to be angry 
and to reprove a neighbor when he is observed to sin ; much 
rather love desires his improvement. Parents correct with a rod 
a disobedient and obstinate child, but do not cast it out and 
become enemies to it because of that disobedience. Their object 
is only to reform the child. So you may censure your brother 
when he sins, and manifest your displeasure and indignation, 
that he may perceive and confess his wrongdoing, but his obsti- 
nacy does not justify you in becoming his enemy, or in enter- 
taining ill will toward him. He who truly loves will be dis- 
tressed at a beloved neighbor wickedly trespassing against God 
and himself, but will not turn pale with hatred and revenge. 
True, when fervor and admonition fail to effect any reform, 
the sincere-hearted Christian must separate himself from his 
obstinate neighbor and regard him as a heathen; but he must 
not become his neighbor's enemy, nor wish him evil. 



JANUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH 39 

Anger and censure prompted by sincere love are very different 
from the wrath, hatred and revengefulness of the world, which 
seeks only its own interests and is unwilling to tolerate any 
opposition to its pleasure. True love is moved to anger when 
a neighbor's good demands it. Though not insensible to evil 
and not approving of it, it is yet able to tolerate, to forgive and 
cover all wrongs against itself, and it leaves untried no expedient 
that may make a neighbor better. Sincere love makes a distinc- 
tion between the evil and the person; it is unfriendly to the 
former, but kind to the latter. 



The third day there was a marriage in Carta in Galilee; and 
the mother of Jesus was there: and both Jesus was called, and 
his disciples, to the marriage. John 2: I, 2. 

It is indeed a high honor paid to married life for Christ him- 
self to attend this marriage, together with his mother and his 
disciples. His mother is present as the one arranging the wed- 
ding, the parties married being apparently her poor relatives 
or neighbors, and she being compelled to act as the bride's 
mother ; so, of course, it was nothing more than a wedding, and 
in no way a display. 

The second honor is his giving good wine for the humble 
marriage by means of a great miracle, making himself the bride's 
chief cup-bearer; it may be too that he had no money or jewel 
to give as a wedding present. He never did such honor to the 
life or doings of the Pharisees; for by this miracle he confirms 
marriage as the work and institution of God. No matter how 
common or how lowly it appears in the eyes of men, God none 
the less acknowledges his own work and loves it. 

Since then marriage has the foundation and consolation that 



40 JANUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH 

it is instituted by God and that God loves it, and that Christ 
himself so honors and comforts it, every one ought to prize and 
esteem it; the heart ought to be glad that it is surely the state 
which God loves, and cheerfully endure every burden in it, 
even though the burdens be ten times heavier than they are. 
For this reason there is so much care and unpleasantness in mar- 
ried life to the outward man, because everything that is God's 
word and work, if it is to be blessed at all, must be distasteful, 
bitter and burdensome to the outward man. 

Marriage is a state that cultivates and exercises faith in God 
and love to our neighbor by means of manifold cares, labors, un- 
pleasantness, crosses and all kinds of adversities that are to 
follow everything that is God's word and work. 

Christ also shows that he is not displeased with a marriage 
feast, nor with the things which belong to a wedding, such as 
adornments, cheerfulness, eating and drinking, according to the 
usage and custom of the country. God is not concerned about 
such external things, if it be in moderation, and faith and love 
reign. 

ilanmtrg 3tomttg-rtgljttj 

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high 
things, but condescend to men of low estate. Rom. 12: 16. 

Paul speaks of the temporal affairs of men, teaching mutual 
appreciation of one another's calling and character, offices and 
works, and that none is to esteem himself better than another 
because of these. The shoemaker's apprentice has the same 
Christ as the prince or the king; the woman, the same as the 
man. While there are various occupations and external distinc- 
tions among men, there is but one faith and one Spirit. 

But this doctrine of Paul has long been dishonored. Princes, 
nobles, the rich and the powerful, reflect themselves in them- 



JANUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH 41 

selves, thinking they are the only men on earth. Even among 
their own ranks one aspires to be more exalted, more noble and 
upright, than another. Their notions and opinions are almost 
as diverse as the clouds of heaven. They are not of the same 
mind in external distinctions. One does not esteem another's 
condition and occupation as significant and as honorable as his 
own. True, there must be the various earthly stations, char- 
acters and employments; but it is heathenish, unchristian and 
worldly for one to entertain the absurd idea that God regards 
a certain individual a better Christian than another upon the 
contemptible grounds of his temporal station, and not to perceive 
that in God's sight these conditions make no difference. God 
treats men alike. He gives his Word and his Spirit to the lowly 
as well as to the high. "High things" have their place and they 
are not pernicious. But to "mind" them, to be absorbed in them 
with the whole heart, to be puffed up with conceit because of 
our relation to them, enjoying them to the disadvantage of the 
less favored — that is heathenish. 

Where would the wealthy and the powerful be if there were 
no poor and humble? As the feet support the body, so the low 
support the high. The higher class, then, should conduct them- 
selves toward the lowly as the body holds itself with relation 
to the feet; not "minding" or regarding their lofty station, but 
conforming to and recognizing with favor the station of the 
lowly. Christ conducted himself with humility. He did not 
deny his own exaltation, but neither was he haughty toward us 
by reason of it. He did not despise us, but stooped to our 
wretched condition and raised us by means of his own exalted 
condition. 



42 JANUARY TWENTY-NINTH 

ilamtarg Qtenttg-ttttttl} 

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; 
in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons 
more frequent, in deaths oft. 2 Cor. II : 23. 

Paul acknowledges that he had to become a fool, something 
for which he had no desire, by reason of the necessity laid upon 
him to praise himself. The false apostles, as false spirits habit- 
ually do, delivered great, fine, splendid speeches to the multi- 
tudes in their vainglorious attempt to raise themselves above 
Paul, and to make him and his doctrine contemptible and in- 
significant. Paul was little concerned that he should personally 
be lightly esteemed and the false apostles highly honored, but 
he could not bear to have the gospel perish in that way and his 
Corinthian converts seduced. Therefore he exerts himself to 
the utmost, at the risk of becoming a fool by his boasting. But 
in his strong spiritual wisdom, he glories in a masterly way, and 
skillfully puts to shame the boasts of the false apostles. He 
shows them that he can glory in the very things in which they 
glory, and even more. At the same time he declares himself a 
fool for glorying. He wears the foolscap, that those coarse 
fools might have a mirror to behold themselves. This is wisely 
making foolishness minister to the good of the neighbor and to 
the honor of the gospel. To the just, even folly is wisdom, just 
as all things are pure and holy unto him. 

Paul deals the false apostles a strong blow when he shows 
them to be ignorant of the grounds in which a true Christian 
seeks his glory. He teaches them that a Christian glories in the 
things of which other men are ashamed — in the cross and in 
his sufferings. The main point of the lesson is that in a preacher 
or a teacher no vice is more injurious and venomous than vain- 
glory. The ministry is ordained to have as its aim the glory of 



JANUARY THIRTIETH 43 

God and its promotion, and the ministers must, for God's glory, 
suffer reproach and shame. The world will not endure the 
Word. For him who seeks his own honor in preaching, it is 
impossible to remain in the right path and preach the pure 
gospel. Consequently he avoids striving for God's honor; he 
must preach what pleases the people, what brings honor to him- 
self and magnifies his skill and wisdom. 

ilamtary QJlftritrtlj 

Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, 
not in Israel. Matt. 8: 10. 

This saying of Christ has been discussed with solicitude, lest 
it should imply that Christ did not speak truly, or that the 
mother of God and the apostles were inferior to this centurion. 
Although I might say that Christ is speaking of the people of 
Israel, among whom he had preached and to whom he had come, 
and therefore his mother and his disciples were excluded, because 
they traveled with him and came with him to the people of 
Israel in his preaching, nevertheless I will abide by the words 
of the Lord and take them as they stand. 

First, it is against no article of belief that this faith of the 
centurion was without a parallel among the apostles or the 
mother of God. When no article of faith openly contradicts 
the words of Christ, they are to be taken literally, are not to 
be adapted and bent by our interpretation, neither for the sake 
of any saint or angel, nor of God himself. For his Word is 
the truth above all saints and angels. Such interpretation and 
adaptation spring from a carnal mind to estimate the saints of 
God not according to God's grace, but according to their person, 
and greatness, which is contrary to God, who estimates quite 
differently, according to his gifts alone. God frequently does 
through inferior saints what he does not do through great saints. 



44 JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST 

He concealed himself from his mother, when he was twelve 
years old, and suffered her to be in ignorance and error. On 
Easter Sunday he showed himself to Mary Magdalene, before 
he showed himself to his mother and the apostles. He spoke 
to the Samaritan woman, and to the woman taken in adultery, 
more kindly than he spoke to his mother. When Peter fell 
and denied him, the thief on the cross stood firm in his faith. 
By these and similar wonders he shows that he will not have 
his Spirit in his saints limited by us, and that we are not to 
judge according to the person. He wills to bestow his gifts 
freely, according to his pleasure, not to our opinion. The 
purpose of all this is to prevent men from being presumptuous 
toward others and from elevating one saint above another, thus 
creating divisions. All are to be equal in the grace of God, 
however unequal they are in gifts. 



ilatwarg Siftrtg-ftrut 



They understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 
Luke 2: 50. 

This should close the mouths of vain babblers who exalt the 
holy Virgin Mary and other saints, as if these knew everything 
and could not err; for you can see here how they do err and 
falter, not only in this that they seek Christ and know not 
where to find him until they accidentally come to the temple, 
but also that they could not understand these words with which 
he censured their ignorance, when he was compelled to say to 
them: "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" 
The evangelist has pointed this out with great diligence, in 
order that men should not give evidence to such falsehoods as 
ignorant, inexperienced and conceited teachers of work-right- 
eousness present in exalting the saints, even setting them up as 
idols. 



FEBRUARY FIRST 45 



Examples like this are useful and necessary to show us that 
even the saints, who are the children of God, and highly favored 
above others, still have weaknesses so that they frequently err 
and blunder, yea, retain many faults, at times even commit 
great sins; yet, not intentionally and willfully, but from weak- 
ness and ignorance, as we see again and again in the lives of 
the apostles. This happens in order that we may learn not to 
trust nor depend on any man, but to cling to the Word of 
God only; and in order that we may find comfort in such 
examples and not be led to despair, although we may be weak 
and ignorant. 

In this gospel you have a strong example with which to 
overthrow the common cry both of the false saints and of the 
great critics, which they still keep up, and by which, contrary 
to the Word of God, they continue to reproach us with the 
writings and teachings of the fathers and the decrees of the 
Church and the councils. In this they desire to mislead us 
concerning the Scriptures and the true place to which Christ 
himself points and where he can surely be found ; in order that 
what happened to Mary and Joseph may happen also to us, 
namely, that we seek Christ everywhere and yet find him no- 
where except where he is to be found, namely, in the Scrip- 
tures. 

3tehritanj Wvc&t 

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one 
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 1 Cor. 9 : 24. 

Paul here presents a forcible simile in the running of a race, 
or the strife for the prize. Many run without obtaining the 
object of their pursuit. But we should not run in vain. To 
follow Christ faithfully does not simply mean to run. We must 
run to some purpose. To believe that we are running in Christ's 



46 FEBRUARY SECOND 



course will not suffice; we must lay hold of eternal life. "He 
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." "Let 
him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 

Running is hindered in two ways. First, by insolence. When 
our faith is not exercised and we are indolent in good works, 
our progress is hindered and the prize is not attained. While 
men sleep the enemy sows tares. Secondly, when individuals 
pursue their aim at full speed, but are deluded by phantoms, 
they miss their aim and rush to ruin, or run up against fearful 
obstacles. Hence the race is hindered when a false goal is set 
up, or the true one removed. 

The goal is removed when the Word of God is falsified and 
creations of the human mind are preached under the name of 
God's Word. These things come about when we are not care- 
ful to keep the unity of the spirit, and when each one follows 
his own ideas because he prefers his own conceit. Paul calls 
love the unity of the spirit, and admonishes to keep the unity 
of the spirit in the bonds of peace. 

He who in the Christian contest seeks his own glory and 
profit, who finds in the Word and Spirit of God occasion for 
his own praise and advantage, cannot expect to win. He is 
wholly entangled, and bound hand and foot. Under such con- 
ditions false and indolent Christians run indeed a merry race; 
but God's Word and ways are merely a pretense, because they 
subserve their own interests and glory. They never make a 
serious attempt, nor do they ever hit the mark. So run, that 
ye may obtain. 



3tehnrarg £>?ttinb 



Behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, 
if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Matt. 8: 2. 

This leper would not have been so bold as to come to the 
Lord and ask to be cleansed, if he had not trusted and expected 



FEBRUARY SECOND 47 



with his whole heart that Christ would be kind and gracious, 
and would cleanse him. Because he was a leper, he had reason 
to be timid. Moreover the law forbids lepers to mingle with 
the people. Nevertheless he approaches, regardless of law and 
people, and of the purity and holiness of Christ. 

Here behold the attitude of faith toward Christ: it sets be- 
fore itself absolutely nothing but the pure goodness and free 
grace of Christ, without seeking and bringing any merit. Here 
it certainly cannot be said that the leper merited by his purity 
to approach Christ, to speak to him and to invoke his help. Nay, 
just because he feels his impurity and unworthiness, he ap- 
proaches all the more and looks only upon the goodness,, of 
Christ. This is true faith, a living confidence in the goodness 
of God. The heart that does this has true faith ; the heart that 
does it not has not true faith, as they do who do not keep in 
sight the goodness of God and that alone, but first look around 
for their own works, in order to be worthy of God's grace and 
to merit it. These never make bold to call upon God earnestly 
or draw near to him. 

This confidence of faith, or knowledge of the goodness of 
Christ, would never have originated in this leper by virtue of 
his own reason, if he had not first heard a good report about 
Christ, how kind, gracious and merciful he is, ready to help, 
comfort and counsel every one that comes to him. Such a 
report must undoubtedly have come to his ears, and from this 
fame he derived courage, and interpreted the report to his own 
advantage; he applied this goodness to his own need. His 
faith therefore did not grow out of his reason, but out of the 
report he heard of Christ, as Paul says: "Faith cometh by 
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." This is the gospel 
that is the beginning, middle, and end of everything good and 
of all salvation. 



48 FEBRUARY THIRD 



Stehnrarg QIIftri> 



Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the great- 
est of these is charity (love). 1 Cor. 13: 13. 

Paul's statement that love is greater than faith and hope is 
intended as an expression of the permanence, or eternal dura- 
tion of love. Faith, being limited as to time in comparison 
with love, ranks beneath it for the reason of this temporary 
duration. With the same right I might say that the kingdom 
of Christ is greater upon earth than was Christ. Thereby I 
do not mean that the Church in itself is better and of highef 
rank than Christ, but merely that, it covers a greater part of the 
earth than he compassed; for he was here but three years, and 
those he spent in a limited sphere, whereas his kingdom has 
been from the beginning and is coextensive with the earth. 
In this sense, love is longer and broader than either faith or 
hope. Faith deals with God merely in the heart and in this 
life, whereas the relations of love both to God and the whole 
world are eternal. Nevertheless, as Christ is immeasurably 
better and higher and more precious than the Christian Church, 
although we behold him moving within smaller limits and as 
a mere individual, so is faith better, higher and more precious 
than love, though its duration is limited and it has God alone 
for its object. 

Paul's purpose in thus extolling love is to deal a blow to 
false teachers and to bring to naught their boasts about faith 
and other gifts when love is lacking. He means to say: If ye 
possess not love (charity), which abides forever, all else of 
which you boast being perishable, ye will perish with it. While 
the Word of God and spiritual gifts are eternal, yet the exter- 
nal office and proclamation of the Word, and likewise the em- 
ployment of gifts in their variety, shall have an end, and thus 



FEBRUARY FOURTH 49 



your glory and pride shall become as ashes. So then faith 
justifies through the Word and produces love. But while 
both Word and faith shall pass away, righteousness and love, 
which they effect, abide forever; just as a building erected by 
the aid of scaffolding remains after the scaffolding has been 
removed. Love gives and blesses the neighbor, as a result of 
faith, and it shall never be done away. 



ifobrtrarg iifaurtlj 



• So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many be called, 
but few chosen. Matt. 20: 16. 

The two words "last" and "first" must be considered from 
two viewpoints. The first before men are the last before God, 
and the last in the eyes of men are first in the eyes of God. On 
the contrary, the first before God are the last before men; and 
those whom God esteems as the last are considered by men to 
be the first. This gospel does not speak of first and last in a 
common, ordinary sense; but it means those who imagine they 
are the first or the last in the eyes of God; the words ascend 
very high and apply to the better classes of people; they terrify 
the greatest of saints. Behold, how Saul fell! How God 
permitted David to fall! How Peter had to fall! Why is it 
that so many sects have arisen? No doubt, because they were 
self-secure and without fear, considering themselves the first. 
Hence they must become the last. 

The substance of this gospel is that no mortal is so high, 
nor will ever ascend so high, as to have no occasion to fear that 
he may become the very lowest. On the other hand, no mortal 
lies so low as not to have the hope extended him that he may 
become the highest; because here all human merit is abolished 
and God's goodness alone is praised, and it is decreed as on a 

Devotional Readings 4. 



50 FEBRUARY FIFTH 



festive occasion that the first shall be last and the last first. 
In that he says, "the first shall be the last," he strips thee of all 
thy presumption and forbids thee to exalt thyself above the 
lowest outcast, even if thou wert like Abraham, David, Peter 
or Paul. On the other hand, in that he says, "the last shall 
be first," he checks thee against all doubting, and forbids thee 
to humble thyself below any saint, even if thou wert Pilate, 
Herod, Sodom and Gomorrah. For just as we have no reason 
to be presumptuous, so we have no cause to doubt; but the 
golden mean is here confirmed and fortified by this gospel, so 
that we look not upon the penny but the goodness of the house- 
holder, who is the same and alike to high and low, to the first 
and the last, to saints and sinners, and no one can boast nor 
comfort himself nor presume more than another. 



Those members of the body, which we think to be less honor- 
able, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our un- 
comely parts have more abundant comeliness. I Cor. 12: 23. 

Thus we see that hand and eye, regardless of their superior 
office, labor carefully to clothe and adorn the less honorable 
members. They make the best use of their own distinction to 
remove the dishonor and shame of the inferior members. How- 
ever unequal the capacities and distinction of the individual 
members of the body, they are equal in that they are all parts 
of the same body. The eye cannot claim any better place in 
the body than the least distinguished member has. Nor can 
it boast greater authority over the body than any other member 
enjoys. And this it does not essay to do. It grants all mem- 
bers equal participation in the body. Likewise, all Christians, 
whether strong in faith or weak, perfect or defective, share 






FEBRUARY SIXTH 5 1 



equally in Christ and are equal in Christendom. Each may 
appropriate the whole Christ to himself. I may boast as much 
in Christ as Peter. Nor do I envy Peter because he is a more 
distinguished member of the Christian Church than I. On the 
other hand, he does not despise me for being a less honored 
member. I am a part of the same body to which he belongs, 
and I possess Christ as well as he does. 

The self-righteous are unable to concede this equality. They 
must stir up sects and distinctions among Christians. Priests 
aspire to be better than laymen; monks better than priests; 
virgins than wives. The diligent in praying and fasting would 
be better than the laborer; and they who lead austere lives, 
more righteous than they of ordinary life. This is the work 
of the devil, and productive of every form of evil. Under such 
conditions faith and love are subverted. The unlearned are 
deluded, and led away from faith to works and orders. In- 
equality is everywhere. The ecclesiasts desire to sit in high 
places, to receive all honor, to have their feet kissed, and will 
honor and respect none but themselves. All this is opposed 
to Christ's doctrine in our text. In the members we daily bear 
about with us, God has described the law of love in a forcible 
manner. The Christian should act in a way to profit not him- 
self but others, and have a sincere interest in them. 



Stebruanj §>txt!j 

Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom 
of God; but to others in parables; that seeing they might not 
see, and hearing they might not understand. Luke 8: IO. 

A "mystery" is a hidden secret that is not known; and the 
"mysteries of the kingdom of God" are the things in the king- 
dom of God, as for example Christ with all his grace, which 



52 FEBRUARY SIXTH 



he manifests to us. He who knows Christ aright understands 
what God's kingdom is and what is in it. It is called a mystery 
because it is spiritual and secret, and it remains so where the 
spirit does not reveal it. For although there are many who 
see and hear it, yet they do not understand it. There are many 
who preach and hear Christ, how he offered himself for us; 
but all that is only upon their tongue and not in their heart; 
for they themselves do not believe it; they do not experience it. 

Therefore Christ says: "Unto you it is given;" the Spirit 
gives it to you that you not only hear and see it, but acknowl- 
edge and hear it with your heart. It is no longer a mystery 
to you. But others, who hear it as well as you and have no 
faith in their heart, see and understand it not. To them it is 
a mystery and will continue to be unknown to them, and all 
that they hear is only like one hearing a parable or a dark say- 
ing. Christ therefore spake to the people in parables, that they 
might understand each according to his ability. He spake to 
them in parables because they did not understand. The para- 
bles served to interest and get a hold on coarse and rough 
people. Although they do not understand them, yet later they 
may be taught and learn to know. Parables are naturally 
pleasing to the common people, and they easily remember them, 
since they are taken from common, everyday affairs, in the 
midst of which the people live. 

But these parables are of the nature that no one can under- 
stand them, they may grasp and hear them as often as they 
will, unless the Spirit makes them known and reveals them. 
Not that they shall preach that we shall not understand them, 
but it naturally follows that whenever the Spirit does not re- 
veal them, no one understands them. God conceals and re- 
veals to whom he will and whom he had in mind from eternity. 



FEBRUARY SEVENTH 53 

Jtehruarjj 9*wtttf} 

Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 
Col. 3: 17. 

The works of Christians are not circumscribed by name, 
time, or place. Whatever Christians do is good ; whenever done 
it is timely; wherever wrought it is appropriate. So Paul 
names no work. He makes no distinction, but concludes all 
works to be good, whether it be eating or drinking, speaking 
or keeping silence, waking or sleeping, going or staying, being 
idle or otherwise. All acts are eminently worthy because done 
in the name of the Lord Jesus. Such is Paul's teaching here. 
And our works are wrought in the name of the Lord Jesus 
when we by faith hold fast the fact that Christ is in us and we 
in him, in the sense that we no longer labor, but he lives and 
works in us. 

The expression "in the name of God" or "Lord Jesus" is 
frequently uttered falsely and in sheer hypocrisy. Teachers 
of false doctrine habitually offer their commodities in the name 
of God. They even come in the name of Christ, as he him- 
self foretells. To speak and work sincerely and earnestly in 
Jesus' name, the heart must necessarily accord with the utter- 
ance of the mouth. As the lips declare in the name of God, 
so must the heart confidently, with firm faith, hold that God 
directs and performs the work. No Christian should under- 
take to do any deed in his own ability and directed by his own 
judgment. Rather let him be assured that God works with 
him and through him. 

Such an attitude will result in praise and thanks to God as 
one to whom are due all honor and praise for every good thing. 
Thus Paul teaches and also Peter. Immediately after declar- 



54 FEBRUARY EIGHTH 



ing that we are to work according to the ability which God 
gives, Peter adds that "in all things God may be glorified 
through Jesus Christ." He who undertakes anything in his 
own ability, however much he may glorify God with his lips, 
lies and deceives. Thankfulness is the only duty we can per- 
form unto God; and this is not to be rendered of ourselves, 
but through our Mediator, Jesus. Without him none can come 
to the Father and none will be accepted. 

Stehntarg iztgtjilt 

Behold j we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are writ- 
ten by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be ac- 
complished. Luke 18: 31. 

Christ spoke these words on his way to Jerusalem at the time 
of the Easter festivities before he finished his passion, when his 
disciples least expected to witness his sufferings, but instead 
anticipated a joyful occasion at the Feast of the Passover. He 
spoke them that his disciples might later grow stronger in their 
faith, when they recalled the fact that he had told them before, 
mat he had voluntarily offered himself as a sacrifice, and that 
he was not crucified by the power or stiategy of his enemies, 
the Jews. Long before this Isaiah had prophesied that Christ 
would voluntarily and cheerfully give himself as a sacrifice. 
The angel also on Easter morning admonishes the women to 
call to mind what he here says, in order that they might be 
assured and the more firmly believe that he suffered willingly 
on our behalf. 

The true foundation of a thorough understanding of Christ's 
passion is when we not only consider his sufferings, but also 
his heart and will in those sufferings ; for all they who view 
his sufferings so as not to see his will and heart in them are 
more terrified than they rejoice on account of them. Where 



FEBRUARY NINTH 55 



one sees Christ's will and heart in his passion, it brings true 
comfort, assurance and pleasure in Christ. Thus the psalmist 
praises this will of God and of Christ, when he says: "I de- 
light to do thy will, O my God." The apostle in the Epistle 
to the Hebrews says: "By which will we have been sanctified." 
It does not say, Through the suffering and blood of Christ, 
which is also true; but through the will of God and of Christ. 
They were both of one will to sanctify us through the blood of 
Christ. 

In this gospel he shows us this will to suffer, when he first 
announced that he would go up to Jerusalem and allow them 
to crucify him ; as if he had said, Look into my heart and see that 
I do all willingly, freely and cheerfully, in order that it may 
not terrify nor shock you, when you shall see it, and think that 
I do it reluctantly, and must do it; that I am forsaken and the 
power of the Jews forces me to it. 



ifobnrary Ntttilj 



Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast be- 
lieved, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed 
in the selfsame hour. Matt. 8: 13. 

This heathen is so fully satisfied with Christ's word, that 
he does not even desire his presence nor deem himself worthy 
of it. Therefore also his servant was healed in that hour by 
the power of his faith. Since the occasion is offered, we must 
say a little about alien faith and its power. Many are inter- 
ested in this subject on account of the little children who are 
baptized and are saved not by their own, but by the faith of 
others; just as this servant was healed not by his own, but by 
the faith of his master. 

First we must let the foundation stand firm and sure that 



56 FEBRUARY TENTH 



nobody will be saved by the faith or righteousness of another, 
but only by his own; neither will anybody be condemned for 
the unbelief and sins of another, but for his own. "He that 
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth 
not shall be damned." What then becomes of the young chil- 
dren, seeing they have not reason and are not able to believe 
for themselves. 

We conclude and declare that in baptism the children them- 
selves believe and have their own faith, which God effects in 
them through the sponsors, when in the faith of the Christian 
Church they intercede for them and bring them to baptism. 
This is what we call the power of alien faith, not that any- 
body can be saved by it, but that through it as an intercession 
and aid he can obtain from God his own faith,' by which he is 
saved. If 1 am to live, I myself must be born, and nobody can 
be born for me to enable me to live; but mother and midwife 
can by their life aid me in birth and enable me to live. No- 
body can go to heaven for me ; but he can assist me, can teach, 
preach, govern, pray and obtain faith from God for me, through 
which I can go to heaven. The centurion was not healed of 
the palsy of his servant, but he brought it about that his serv- 
ant was restored to health. So children are not baptized in the 
faith of the sponsors or the Church, but the faith of the sponsors 
gains faith for them, in which they are baptized and believe for 
themselves. 

3Wmtarg ofcittij 

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bow- 
els of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long- 
suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. 
Col. 3: 12, 13. 

Observe the tender and sacred style of the apostle's admoni- 
tion. He does not drive us with the law, but persuades by re- 



FEBRUARY TENTH 57 



minding us of the ineffable grace of God. He calls us the 
"elect of God," "holy," and "beloved." He desires to call 
forth in us the fruits of faith, wishing to have them yielded in 
a willing, cheerful and happy spirit. The individual who truly 
believes that he is beloved, holy and elect before God, will con- 
sider how he may sustain his honor and titles, and how he must 
conduct himself to be worthy of them. He will love God with 
a fervor that will enable him to do or omit, or suffer all things, 
and will ever think that he is not doing enough. 

Paul here speaks of that sincere and whole-souled mercy, 
characteristic of a father or mother who witness the distress 
of their child for which they would readily expose their lives 
or give up all their possessions. The Christian heart and mind 
is constantly devoted to merciful deeds with an ardor so intense 
as to make him unaware that he is doing good and compas- 
sionate acts. 

Paul condemns also the works and arbitrary rules of hypo- 
critical saints, whose severity will not permit them to associate 
with sinners, and who exercise no mercy, but administer per- 
petual reproach, censure, criticism, blame and bluster. They are 
unable to endure imperfections in any, though they themselves 
are sinners and many are infirm. Christians reject none, and 
will bear with all. They are as sincerely interested in sinners 
as they are in themselves. They pray for them, teach, admon- 
ish, persuade, do all in their power to reclaim them. The 
virtues mentioned in the text become us better in the sight of 
God than pearls, precious stones, silk and gold become us in 
the eyes of the world. So Christ dealt with the adulteress, 
brought her to repentance and with gracious words suffered her 
to depart. So God in Christ has dealt with us and ever deals. 



58 FEBRUARY ELEVENTH 

Stebntarg fEImititt 

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new 
lump, as ye are unleavened. I Cor. 5 : 7. 

If we are to be a new, sweet lump, we must purge out the 
old leaven. A nature renewed by faith and Christianity will not 
admit of our living as we did when devoid of faith and in sin, 
under the influence of an evil conscience. Note the apostle's 
peculiar words. He enjoins purging out the old leaven, assign- 
ing as a reason, that ye are a new and unleavened lump. By 
a new unleavened lump he means that faith which clings to 
Christ and believes in the forgiveness of sin through him; but 
how shall we explain the fact that he bids them purge out the 
old leaven that they may be a new lump, when at the same time 
he admits them to be unleavened and a new lump? How can 
these Christians be unleavened, when they have yet to purge 
out the old leaven? 

This is an instance of the Pauline and apostolic way of 
speaking concerning Christians and the kingdom of Christ; it 
tells us what the condition really is. It is a discipline wherein 
a new, Christian life is entered upon through faith in Christ, 
the true Passover; hence, Easter is celebrated with sweet, un- 
leavened bread. But at the same time something of the old life 
remains, which must be swept out, or purged away. However, 
this latter is not imputed, because faith and Christ are there, 
constantly toiling and striving thoroughly to purge out what- 
ever uncleanness remains. Through faith we have Christ and 
his purity perfectly conferred upon ourselves, and we are thus 
regarded pure; yet in our own personal nature we are not im- 
mediately and wholly pure, without sin and weakness. Much 
of the old leaven still remains, but it will be forgiven, not be 
imputed to us, if only we continue in faith and are occupied 
with purging out that remaining impurity. 



FEBRUARY TWELFTH 59 

This is Christ's thought when he says to his disciples, "Now 
ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you," 
and in the same connection he declares that the branches in him 
must be purged that they may bring forth fruit. To Peter he 
says, "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, 
but is clean every whit; and ye are clean, but not all." By 
faith a Christian lays hold of the purity of Christ ; it brings the 
Holy Spirit, who enables man to withstand and subdue sin. 



Stebnrarg 5fai?lftlj 

(He) committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. 
i Pet. 2 : 23. 

The apostle had just been saying that Christ reviled not, nor 
thought of revenge, but rather manifested love and good will 
toward his virulent enemies. How could Christ approve such 
malice? Truly he could not endorse it. Nor could he com- 
mend his enemies for putting him to death upon the cross with- 
out a cause. If I suffer innocently and am unjustly treated, 
I am not to justify the ill treatment and strengthen the enemy 
in his sins; for, so doing, I would approve his conduct and 
assume the guilt attributed. I must not cease to confess the 
truth and maintain my innocence, both in heart and with my 
lips. But if men will not accept my word, my heart must tell 
me I have suffered injustice. Rather should I endure ten deaths, 
could my enemies inflict them, than to condemn myself in viola- 
tion of conscience. 

But what are we to do? If we do not justify our enemies 
when they make us suffer, they will even do worse things to us ; 
for they desire the name and the credit, in the eyes of the world, 
of having done right by us ; they would have it thought that they 
do God great service by murdering us. Now, who is to judge 



60 FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH 

and decide the question? Peter declares that Christ committed 
the matter to him who judges righteously. How should he do 
otherwise? There was for him no judge on earth. He was 
compelled to commit the matter to that righteous judge, his 
heavenly Father. Well he knew that such sins and blasphemies 
could not go unpunished. The sentence was already passed, the 
sword sharpened, the angels given orders for the overthrow of 
Jerusalem. Previous to his sufferings, on his way to Jerusa- 
lem, as he beheld the city, he announced its coming doom and 
wept over it. 

As Christ did, so should we conduct ourselves in our suffer- 
ings; not approving or assenting to whatever may be heaped 
upon us, but yet not seeking revenge. We are to commit the 
matter to God who will judge aright. We cannot maintain our 
rights before the world; therefore we must commit our cause 
to God, who judges righteously and who will not allow calum- 
niation of his Word and persecution of believers to pass un- 
punished. Why, then, should I be impatient or desire revenge? 



Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and 
have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a 
tinkling cymbal. I Cor. 13: I. 

Observe how small the word "love" and how easily uttered! 
Who would have thought to find so much precious virtue and 
power ascribed by Paul to this one excellence as counterpart 
of so much that is evil? This is, I imagine, magnifying love, 
painting love. It is a better discourse on virtue and vice than 
are the heathen writings. The model the apostle presents should 
justly shame the false teachers, who talk much of love but in 
whom not one of the virtues he mentions is found. 



FEBRUARY THIRTEENTH 6 1 

Every quality of love mentioned by him means false teachers 
buffeted and assaulted. Whenever he signifies love and char- 
acterizes her powers, he invariably makes a thrust at the same 
time at those who are deficient in any of them. We may well, 
then, as he describes the several features, add the comment, 
"But you do very differently." It is passing strange that the 
teachers devoid of love should possess such love as Paul men- 
tions here, namely, speaking with tongues, prophesying, under- 
standing mysteries; that they should have faith, should bestow 
their goods and suffer themselves to be burned. For we have 
seen what abominations ensue where love is lacking; such in- 
dividuals are proud, envious, impatient, false, suspicious, mali- 
cious, disinclined to service, selfish, ambitious. How can it con- 
sistently be claimed that people of this stamp can through faith 
remove mountains, give their bodies to be burned, prophesy and 
the like ? It is precisely as I have stated. Paul presents an im- 
possible proposition, implying that since they are devoid of love, 
they do not really possess those gifts, but merely assume the 
name and appearance. And in order to divest them of those 
he admits for the sake of argument that they are what in reality 
they are not. 

Paul's purpose is to silence and humble haughty Christians, 
especially teachers and preachers. The gospel gives much knowl- 
edge of God and of Christ, and conveys many wonderful gifts. 
Some have the gift of speaking, some of teaching, some of Scrip- 
ture exposition, some of ruling, and so on. But there are to be 
found few indeed who make the right use of such gifts and 
knowledge, who humble themselves to serve others, according 
to the dictates of love. 



62 FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH 



3tebnrarg Sfaitrimttlj 



// there be any other commandment, it is briefly compre- 
hended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
thyself. Rom. 13:9. 

Love being the chief element of all law, it comprehends all 
commandments. Its one concern is to be useful and not harm- 
ful to man. Love is the chief virtue, the fountain of all virtues. 
Love gives food and drink; it clothes, comforts, persuades, re- 
lieves and rescues. What shall we say of it, for behold, he who 
loves gives himself, body and soul, property and honor, all his 
powers internal and external, for his needy neighbor's benefit, 
whether it be friend or enemy ; he withholds nothing wherewith 
he may serve another. There is no virtue like love; there can 
be no special work assigned it as in the case of limited virtues, 
such as chastity, mercy, patience, meekness and the like. Love 
does all things. It will suffer in life and in death, in every 
condition, and that even for its enemies. Paul may well say 
that all other commandments are briefly comprehended in this 
saying, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 

This commandment presents the standard by which we are 
to measure our love. It is an excellent model and holds up a 
truly living example, "thyself." It is a better model than any 
example the saints have set. The saints are dead and their 
deeds are past, but this example ever lives. Every one must 
admit a consciousness of his own love for himself; of the care- 
ful nourishment of his body with food, raiment and all good 
things; of his fleeing from death and avoiding evil. This is 
self-love; something we are conscious of in ourselves. What, 
then, is the teaching of the commandment? To do to another 
as you do to yourself; to value his body and his life equally 
with your own body and life. How could God have pointed 



FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH 63 

you to an example dearer, more pleasing, and more to the pur- 
pose than this example — the deep instinct of your own nature ? 
The depth of your character is measured by the writing of this 
commandment in your heart. How will you fare with God 
if you do not love your neighbor? With this commandment 
written within your heart, your conscience will condemn you. 
Your whole conduct will be an example witnessing against you. 



jfrbratnj 3FtfteentIj 

He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Rom. 13:8. 

Innumerable are the books and doctrines produced for the 
direction of man's conduct. There is still no limit to the mak- 
ing of books and laws. These laws and doctrines would be 
tolerated and received with more favor, if they were founded 
upon and administered according to the great law of love. Of 
love's higher authority we find many illustrations in the Scrip- 
tures. Christ makes particular mention of this matter when 
he refers to David and his companions eating the holy show- 
bread. Though a certain law prohibited all but the priests 
from partaking of this holy food, Love was empress here, and 
free. Love was over the Law, subjecting it to herself. The 
Law had to yield for the time being, had to become invalid, 
when David suffered hunger. 

Had the priest been disposed to refuse David the holy bread, 
had he blindly insisted on honoring the prohibition of the Law 
and failed to perceive the authority of Love, had he denied this 
food to him who hungered, what would have been the result? 
So far as the priest's assistance went, David would have had 
to perish with hunger, and the priest would have been guilty 
of murder for the sake of the Law. Here, indeed, the most 
strenuous right would have been the most strenuous wrong. 



64 FEBRUARY SIXTEENTH 

Moreover, on examining the heart of the priest, you would find 
the abomination of making sin where there is no sin, and a mat- 
ter of conscience where there is no occasion for it. In connec- 
tion with this same incident, Christ teaches that we are to do 
good to our neighbor on the Sabbath, to administer as necessity 
demands, whatever the Sabbath restrictions of the Law. For 
when a brother's need calls, Love is authority and the Law of 
the Sabbath is void. 

Were laws conceived and administered in love, the number 
of laws would matter little. Though one might not know all 
of them, he would learn from the one or two, of which he had 
knowledge, the principle of love taught in all; and though he 
were to know all laws, he might not discover the principle of 
love any more readily than he would in one. No greater wrong, 
calamity and wretchedness is possible on earth than the teaching 
and enforcing of laws without love. "Love is the fulfilling of 
the Law." 

3tehntarg Bixtimtty 

And they understood none of these things: and this saying 
was hid from them. Luke 18 : 34. 

The disciples "understood none of these things." That is as 
much as to say: Reason, flesh and blood, cannot understand, nor 
grasp that the Scriptures should say how the Son of man must 
be crucified; much less does reason understand that this is 
Christ's will and that he does it cheerfully; for it does not 
believe that it is necessary for him to suffer for us ; it will deal 
directly with God through its own good works. God must 
reveal it in their hearts by his Spirit more than is proclaimed by 
words into their ears. Even those to whom the Spirit reveals 
it in their hearts believe it with difficulty and must struggle with 
it. Such a great and wonderful thing it is that the Son of man 



FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH 65 

died the death of the cross willingly and cheerfully to fulfil 
the Scriptures for our welfare; it is a mystery and remains a 
mystery. 

From this it follows how foolish they act who teach that the 
people should patiently bear their sufferings and death to atone 
for their sins and obtain grace, and pretend that if they suffer 
willingly all their sins will be forgiven them. Such persons only 
mislead the people, for they bury out of sight Christ and his 
death, upon whom our comfort is founded, and bring the people 
to a false confidence in their own suffering and death. This is 
the worst of all things a man can experience at the end of his 
life, and by it he is led direct into perdition. But learn to say: 
Whose death ! Whose patience ! My death is nothing. Christ's 
suffering is my consolation, upon it I rely for the forgiveness 
of my sins; but my own death I will suffer to the praise and 
honor of my God freely and gratuitously, and for the advantage 
and profit of my neighbor, and in no way whatever depend upon 
it to avail anything in my own behalf before God. 

As Christ now offered himself for us, we should also follow 
the example of love, and offer ourselves for the welfare of our 
neighbor, with all we have. We have spoken sufficiently on 
other occasions that Christ is to be preached in these two ways ; 
but it is talk that no one desires to understand, for "the natural 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit." 



3tebruarg 9mtttmttt; 



Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be 
tempted of the devil. Matt. 4:1. 

Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, that he 
might there fast and be tempted; but no one should imitate 
Christ's example of his own choice and make it a selfish and 
arbitrary fasting; but instead wait for the Spirit, who will 

Devotional Readings 5. 



66 FEBRUARY SEVENTEENTH 

send him enough fastings and temptations. For whoever, with- 
out being led by the Spirit, wantonly resorts to the danger of 
hunger or any other temptation, when it is truly a blessing of 
God that he can eat and drink and have other comforts, tempts 
God. We should not seek want and temptation, they will 
surely come of themselves ; we ought to act honestly, and always 
do our best. The text reads: Jesus was led up of the Spirit 
into the wilderness; and not: Jesus himself chose to go up into 
the wilderness. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these 
are the sons of God." God gives his blessings that we may use 
them with thanksgiving, and not that we let them lie idle, and 
thus tempt him; for he wishes us to fast by the Spirit or by a 
need which we cannot avoid. 

This narrative is written both for our instruction and ad- 
monition. For instruction that we should know how Christ 
has served and helped us by his fasting, hunger, temptation, and 
victory ; also that whosoever believes on Christ shall never suffer 
need, and that temptation shall never harm him, but that we 
shall have enough in the midst of want and be safe in the midst 
of temptation; because his Lord and Head triumphed over all 
these in his behalf, and of this he is assured. "Be of good cheer, 
I have overcome the world." 

This is written for our admonition, that we may in the light 
of his example also cheerfully suffer want and temptation for 
the service of God and the good of our neighbor, like Christ did 
for us, as often as necessity requires it, which is surely accom- 
plished if we learn and confess God's Word. But we have 
practiced fasting as a good work, not to bring our flesh into 
subjection, but as a meritorious work before God to atone for 
sins and obtain grace. This has made our fasting a stench, a 
blasphemy, and a disgrace. 



FEBRUARY EIGHTEENTH 67 

Stebntarg iEtgfjtmttlj 

Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suf- 
f eared, he threatened not. 1 Pet. 2: 23. 

"Did not Christ revile when he called the scribes and Phari- 
sees hypocrites, murderers, serpents, a generation of vipers?" 
Oh yes, in this we would gladly follow Christ's example. It is 
much easier than to be patient. We would need no master to 
help us in this. But a distinction must be made here. Reviling, 
or pronouncing execrations and threats, is of two kinds. In one 
case it is official and pronounced by God ; in the other without 
authority and comes from man. It was one of the duties of 
Christ's office on earth, and one now incumbent upon those called 
to bear that office after him, to assert the truth and censure the 
evil. Such a course is essential to the honor of God and the 
salvation of souls. Official chastisement is a work of divine, 
Christian love. It is a parental duty imposed of God, who has 
implanted in the parent nature intense love for the child ; at the 
same time, if parents are godly and have proper affection for 
their children, they will not connive at, nor let pass unpunished 
their disobedience. So every one may and should reprove when 
official duty or his neighbor's case requires; it serves to reform 
the subject. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the 
kisses of an enemy are deceitful." 

It was love and sincerity of heart which prompted Christ in 
his office to censure and reprove. His motive was to turn the 
transgressors from their blindness and malice, and to rescue them 
from perdition. But having fulfilled his official duties, and the 
hour of his suffering having arrived, he suffered patiently, per- 
mitting his enemies to heap upon him all possible evil in return 
for his manifested love and blessing. Instead of angrily reviling 
and execrating while suspended from the cross, he prayed, "Fa- 



68 FEBRUARY NINETEENTH 

ther, forgive them." It was, indeed, a heart of unfathomable 
love that, in the midst of extreme suffering, had compassion on 
its persecutors and blessed them in greater measure than parent 
can bless child, or one individual bless another. We have here 
a perfect and inimitable example of patience of the most exalted 
kind. In it we may behold as in a glass what we have yet to 
learn of calm endurance. 



Stehntarg Nmrt??tttl? 



Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved 
thee. Luke 18: 42. 

The blind man hears that Christ was passing by ; he had also 
heard of him before, that Jesus of Nazareth was a kind man, 
and that he helped every one who called on him. His faith and 
confidence in Christ grew out of his hearing, so he did not doubt 
but that Christ would help him. But such faith he could not 
have possessed had he not heard and known of Christ ; for faith 
does not come except by hearing. 

We see here how Christ encourages us, both by his works and 
words. First by his works in that he sympathizes so strongly 
with the blind man and makes it clear how pleasing faith is to 
him, so that Christ is at once absorbed with interest in the man, 
stops and does what the blind man desires in his faith. In the 
second place, Christ praises faith in words, and says : "Thy faith 
hath made thee whole ;" he casts the honor of the miracle from 
himself and attributes it to the faith of the blind man. Thus 
faith is granted what it asks and is besides our great honor before 
God. 

This blind man represents the spiritually blind, the state of 
every man born of Adam, who neither sees, nor knows the king- 
dom of God; but it is of grace that he feels and knows his 



FEBRUARY TWENTIETH 69 

blindness and would gladly be delivered from it. They are 
saintly sinners who feel their faults and sigh for grace. He sits 
among the teachers of the law and desires help. The people pass 
him by and let him sit, that is, the people of the law make a great 
noise and are heard among the teachers of good works; they go 
before Christ and Christ follows them. But when he heard 
Christ, that is, when a heart hears the gospel in faith, it calls 
and cries, and has no rest until it comes to Christ. Those who 
would silence and scold him are the teachers of works, who wish 
to quiet the doctrine and cry of faith; but they stir the heart 
the more. After he received his sight, all his work and life are 
only honor and praise to God ; he follows Christ with joy, so 
that the whole world wonders and is thereby made better. 

Stebntarg 5to?ntt£tlj 

// thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made 
bread. But he answered and said. It is written, Man shall not 
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of 
the mouth of God. Matt. 4: 3, 4. 

The tempter attacked Christ with the cares of food for the 
body and with unbelief in the goodness of God, as if he would 
say: Trust in God and wait patiently until a roasted fowl flies 
into your mouth; do you now say that you have a God who 
cares for you; where is now your heavenly Father, who has 
charge of you ? It seems to me he leaves you in a fine condition ; 
eat now and drink from your faith, let us see how you will 
satisfy your hunger, when you have stones for bread. What a 
fine Son of God you are! How fatherly he is disposed toward 
you in that he fails to send you a slice of bread and permits you 
to be so poor and needy; do you now continue to believe that 
you are his son and that he is your father? With like thoughts 
he truly attacks all the children of God. And Christ surely 



70 FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST 

felt this temptation, for he was no stock, nor stone, although he 
was and remained pure and without sin, as we cannot. 

That Satan attacks with the cares for daily food or with 
unbelief and avarice, Christ's answer proves in that he says, 
"Man shall not live by bread alone." As if he said, Thou wilt 
direct me to bread alone and dost treat me as though I thought 
of nothing but the sustenance of the body. This temptation is 
very common also among pious people, and they especially feel 
it keenly who have children and a family, and have nothing to 
eat. Here we should consider Christ's work and example, who 
suffered want forty days and forty nights, and finally was not 
forsaken, but was ministered to by angels. 

Behold how Christ resists this temptation of bread. He sees 
nothing but stones and what is uneatable, then he clings to the 
Word of God, strengthens himself by it and strikes the devil 
to the ground with it. All Christians should lay hold of this 
saying when they see that there is lack and want, and courage 
fails. What if the whole world were full of bread; man does 
not live by bread alone ; more than that is needed for life, name- 
ly, the Word of God. 



// thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, 
He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their 
hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy 
foot against a stone. Matt. 4: 6. 

Here Satan held before Christ want and need where there 
was neither, but where there were already good means by 
which to descend from the temple without such a newly de- 
vised and unnecessary way of descending. Satan here quotes 
from the Psalter that God commanded the angels to protect 



FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST 7 I 

the children of God and to carry them on their hands. But 
Satan like a rogue and cheat fails to quote what follows. The 
Psalm reads: "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to 
keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their 
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." The protec- 
tion of the angels does not reach farther, according to the com- 
mand of God, than the ways in which God has commanded 
us to walk. When we walk in these ways of God, his angels 
take care of us. But the devil omits to quote "the ways of 
God" and interprets and applies the protection of the angels 
to all things, also to that which God has not commanded ; then 
we tempt God. That this temptation was for the purpose of 
tempting and trying God, the answer of Christ clearly proves, 
when he says, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

We find many foolhardy people, who risk and endanger the 
body and life, their property and honor, without any need of 
doing so, as those who wilfully enter into battle or jump into 
the water, or gamble for money, or in other ways venture into 
danger. Good swimmers are likely to drown and good climb- 
ers likely to fall. In spiritual matters this temptation is power- 
ful when one has to do with the nourishment, not of the body, 
but of the soul. Here God holds before us the person and 
the way, by which the soul can be forever nourished in the 
richest manner possible, namely, by Christ, the Saviour. But 
everybody seeks another way to help his soul. The real guilty 
ones are those who would be saved through their own work; 
these the devil sets conspicuously on the top of the temple. 
He persuades them through the Scriptures to believe that the 
angels will protect them in their way and that their works and 
faith are pleasing to God. They do not care how falsely they 
explain the Scriptures. 



72 FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND 

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Gal. 5:14. 

How can love for our neighbor be the fulfilment of the law 
when we are required to love God supremely, even above our 
neighbor? Christ answers the question when he tells us that 
the second commandment is like unto the first. He makes 
love to God and love to our neighbor the same love. The 
reason for this is, first: God, having no need of our works and 
benefactions for himself, bids us to do for our neighbor what 
we would do for God. He asks for himself only our faith and 
our recognition of him as God. The object of proclaiming his 
honor and rendering him praise and thanks here on earth is 
that our neighbor may be converted and brought into fellow- 
ship with God. Such service is called the love of God, and is 
performed out of love to God ; but it is exercised for the benefit 
of our neighbor only. 

The second reason why God makes love to our neighbor an 
obligation equal to love to himself is: God has made worldly 
wisdom foolish, desiring henceforth to be loved amid crosses 
and afflictions. Paul says: "Seeing that in the wisdom of God 
the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's 
good pleasure through the foolishness of preaching to save them 
that believe." Therefore he submitted himself unto death and 
misery upon the cross, and imposed the same submission upon 
all his disciples. They who refused to love him before when 
he bestowed upon them food and drink, blessing and honor, 
must now love him in hunger and sorrow, in adversity and 
disgrace. All works of love, then, must be directed to our 
wretched needy neighbors. In these lowly ones we are to find 
and love God, in them we are to serve and honor him, and 



FEBRUARY TWENTY-THIRD 73 

thus only can we do it. The commandment to love God is 
wholly merged in that to love our neighbors. Christ laid a- 
side his divinity and took upon himself the form of a servant 
for the very purpose of bringing down and centering upon our 
neighbor the love we extend to himself. Yet we leave the Lord 
to lie here in his humiliation while we gaze open-mouthed into 
heaven and make great pretentions to love and serve God. 



Jfebruarg utontig-tljtrin 

Behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and 
cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son 
of David; My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But 
he answered her not a word. Matt. 15: 22, 23. 

Christ like a hunter exercises and chases faith in his follow- 
ers in order that it may become strong and firm. When the 
woman follows him upon hearing of his fame and cries with 
assured confidence that he would according to his reputation 
deal mercifully with her, Christ certainly acts as he would let 
her faith and good confidence be in vain and turn his good re- 
putation into a lie, so that she might have thought: Is this the 
gracious, friendly man? Are these the good works that I have 
heard spoken about him? It cannot be true. He might at 
least speak a word and tell me that he will have nothing to 
do with me. 

Behold, this is a hard rebuff, when God appears so earnest and 
angry and so utterly conceals his grace, as those know so well, 
who feel and experience it in their hearts. But what does the 
poor woman do? She turns her eyes from all this unfriendly 
treatment of Christ; all this does not lead her astray, neither 
does she take it to heart, but she continues firmly to cling in 
tier confidence to the good news she had heard and embraced 



74 FEBRUARY TWENTY-FOURTH 

concerning him, and does not give up. We must also do the 
same and learn firmly to cling to the Word, even though God 
with all his creatures appears otherwise than his Word teaches. 
But how painful it is to nature and reason that this woman 
should strip herself of self and forsake all that she experienced, 
and cling to God's bare Word, until she experienced the con- 
trary. May God help us in time of need and of death to pos- 
sess like courage and faith! 

This gospel is to us a true example of firm and perfect faith. 
For this woman endures and overcomes in three great and hard 
fought battles, and teaches us in a beautiful manner the true 
way and virtue of faith, namely, that it is a hearty trust in the 
grace and goodness of God as experienced and revealed through 
his Word. Without doubt the good news which she had heard 
about Christ that he was a pious man and cheerfully helped 
everybody, made her run after him. Such good news about 
God is a true gospel and a word of grace, out of which sprang 
the faith of this woman. 

Stebntarg Sfotrttty-fnurtlj 

Then came she and worshiped him, saying. Lord, help me. 
But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's 
bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord, yet 
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 
Matt. 15: 25 — 27. 

The woman follows Christ into the home. There she re- 
ceived her last mortal blow. Christ presents her in a bad light ; 
she is a condemned and outcast person, who is not to be reck- 
oned among God's chosen ones. That is an eternally unanswer- 
able reply, to which no one can give a satisfactory answer. Yet 
she does not despair, but concedes that she is a dog and desires 
no more than a dog is entitled to, namely, that she may eat the 
crumbs that fall from the table of the Lord. Is not that a 



FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH 75 

masterly stroke as a reply? She catches Christ with his own 
words. Where will Christ now take refuge? He is caught. 
Therefore Christ now completely opens his heart to her and 
yields to her will, so that she is now no more a dog, but even 
a child of Israel. 

All this is written for our comfort and instruction, that we 
may know how deeply God conceals his grace before our face, 
and that we may not estimate him according to our feelings 
and thinking, but strictly according to his Word. All his an- 
swers indeed sound like no, but they are not no, they remain 
undecided and pending. For he does not say, I will not hear 
thee, but is silent and passive, and says neither yes nor no. He 
does not say she is not of the house of Israel; but he is sent 
only to the house of Israel. He does not say, Thou art a dog, 
one should not give thee of the children's bread; but it is not 
meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs, leaving 
it undecided whether she is a dog or not. Yet all those trials 
of her faith sounded more like no than yes ; but there was more 
yea in them than nay; ay, there is only yes in them, but it is 
very deep and very concealed, while there appears to be noth- 
ing but no. Whoever understands the actions of this poor 
woman and catches God in his own judgment, says, Lord, it 
is true I am a sinner and not worthy of thy grace; but still 
thou hast promised sinners forgiveness, and thou art not come 
to call the righteous, but "to save sinners." Surely, then must 
God according to his own judgment have mercy upon us. 

Jfabntanj Qtowtg-ftfttj 

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh 
through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I 
will return unto my house whence I came out. Luke II : 24. 

This means as much as to say, "The devil never takes a vaca- 
tion," and "The devil never sleeps," for he is seeking how he 



76 FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIFTH 

may devour man. Dry places are not the hearts of the ungodly, 
for in such he rests and dwells like a mighty tyrant; but there 
are dry and waste places here and there in the country where 
no people live, as forests and wildernesses. To these he flees in 
wicked rage because he is driven out. You will remember that 
the devil found Christ in the wilderness. In Judaea there is 
not much water, hence we read that it contains many arid 
wastes. In other countries as our own, which are well watered, 
the devils stay in rivers and lakes, and there sometimes drowns 
those who bathe or sail upon them. 

That he comes again and finds the house swept and garnished 
signifies that the man is sanctified and adorned with beautiful 
spiritual gifts, and that the evil spirit clearly sees that he can 
do nothing there with his familiar tricks, for he is too well 
known. Thus when the worship of idols was driven from the 
heathen, he never attacked the world with that device again. 
What did he do then ? He tried something else, went out, took 
with him seven spirits, more evil than himself, and entered in 
with them and dwelt there, and the last state of that man was 
worse than the first. When Christ had become known in the 
world and the devil's former kingdom with its idol worship 
had been destroyed, he adopted another plan and attacked us 
with heresy and introduced and established the papacy, in which 
Christ was entirely forgotten, and men became worse heathen 
under the name of Christ than before he was preached. Such 
also was the lot of the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and of the Greeks under the Turks. And so all will fare who 
at first hear the Word of God and afterwards become secure 
and weary of it. Therefore it is necessary to watch, as the 
apostle admonishes: "Be sober, be watchful; your adversary the 
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may 
devour." Wherever he overthrows faith, he easily restores again 
all former vices. 



FEBRUARY TWENTY-SIXTH 77 

Sfabnrarg StotttiQ-atxtlj 

The imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth. Gen. 
8:21. 

Man without the Holy Spirit and without grace can do 
nothing but sin, and thus unhaltingly he goes forward from 
sin to sin. When in addition he will not endure sound doctrine 
but rejects the word of salvation and resists the Holy Spirit, 
he becomes an enemy of God, blasphemes the Holy Spirit and 
simply follows the evil desires of his heart. Witnesses of this 
are the examples of the prophets, Christ and the apostles, the 
primeval world under Noah as teacher, and also the examples 
of our adversaries to-day, who cannot be convinced by anything 
that they are in error, that they sin, that their worship is un- 
godly. 

But we must distinguish between the theological and the 
civil standpoints. God approves also the rule of the ungodly; 
he honors and rewards virtue also among the ungodly, but only 
in regard to the things of this life and things grasped by a 
reason which is upright from the civil standpoint; whereas 
the future life is not embraced in such reward. His approval 
is not with regard to the future life. We believe that man 
without the Holy Spirit is altogether corrupt before God, though 
he may stand adorned with all heathen virtues, as moderation, 
libeiality, love of country, parents and children, courage and 
humanity. The declarations of the Holy Scriptures prove the 
same thing. The statement in the fourteenth Psalm is sweeping 
enough when it says, "The Lord looked down from heaven 
upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did 
understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are 
all together become filthy ; there is none that doeth good ; no, 
not one. Paul says, "God hath concluded them all in unbelief." 
Christ says, "Without me ye can do nothing." 



78 FEBRUARY TWENTY-SEVENTH 

We are therefore to hold fast the doctrine which lays before 
us our sin and condemnation. This knowledge of our sin is the 
beginning of salvation ; we must absolutely despair of ourselves 
and give glory for righteousness to God alone. When this has 
been fixed in our hearts, the foundation of our salvation is 
largely laid, inasmuch as subsequently clear testimonies are 
given that God will not cast away the sinner, that is, one who 
recognizes his sin and desires to come to his senses and thirsts 
after righteousness and the remission of sin through Christ. 

Stebruanj Stowtg-Betientlj 

We beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, 
that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to 
please God, so ye would abound more and more. I Thess. 4: 1. 

This text is an earnest admonition enjoining upon us an in- 
creasing degree of perfection in the doctrines we have received. 
It is incumbent upon every evangelical teacher to give this ex- 
hortation, and all Christians should render a willing and not 
a compulsory service. Obedience is due from those who have 
received the Spirit; but those who are not inclined to render a 
willing service, we must leave to themselves. 

Paul places much value upon the gift of knowing how "to 
walk and to please God." In the world this gift is as rare as 
it is great. Though it has been offered to the whole world and 
has been proclaimed, still there is need of further exhortation 
with reference to it, and Paul is diligent in administering it. 
The trouble with us is that we are in danger of becoming in- 
dolent and negligent, forgetful and ungrateful. 

It was a fact reflecting much credit on the Thessalonians in 
contrast to the Corinthians and the Galatians that they con- 
tinued upright in doctrine and true in the knowledge of faith, 
but they seemed to be deficient in two important features in 



FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH 79 

Christian life, namely, chastity and honesty. Unchastity is a 
sin against oneself and is destructive of the fruits of faith. 
Fraud in business is a sin against our neighbor and is likewise 
destructive of faith and charity. 

Though these sins are less pernicious than the gross offenses 
in error of doctrine and faith, yet God will certainly punish 
them, if they are not repented of and renounced. Paul threat- 
ens such sins with the wrath of God lest any one imagine the 
kingdom of Christ one which will tolerate such offenses with 
impunity. These sins do not come within the limits of Chris- 
tian liberty and privilege, nor does God treat the offender with 
indulgence. He will more vigorously punish these sins among 
Christians than among the heathen. Those who sin through 
infirmity, suffer themselves to be reproved, and repent at once, 
the kingdom of Christ treats with pity and forbearance. While 
God bears with the sinner, he would have us perceive our errors, 
strive to mend our lives and abound more and more in righteous- 
ness. 

jfrbntarg ato^tttg-rigtjtJj 

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that 
ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 Cor. 6: I. 

The apostle's purpose in beseeching his co-laborers is to pre- 
vent them from despising the external Word as something in- 
essential or sufficiently well known to them. Though God is 
able to effect everything without the instrumentality of the ex- 
ternal Word, working inwardly by his Spirit, this is not his way 
of doing. He uses preachers and co-workers to accomplish his 
purpose through the Word when and where he pleases. Since 
preachers, therefore, have the office, name and honor of fellow- 
workers with God, no one must consider himself too learned or 
too holy to ignore or despise the most inferior preaching, espe- 



80 FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH 

cially as he knows not when the hour may come wherein God 
will perform his work in him through preachers. 

Paul wishes also to show the danger of neglecting the grace 
of God. He boldly declares here that the preaching of the 
gospel is not an eternal, continuous and permanent mode of in- 
struction, but rather a passing shower, which hastens on. What 
it strikes, it strikes ; what it misses, it misses. It does not return, 
nor does it stand still. The sun and heat follow and dry it up. 
Experience shows that in no part of the world has the gospel 
remained pure beyond the length of a man's memory. When its 
pioneers were gone, the light disappeared ; factions, spirits, and 
false teachers immediately followed. 

Moses announced that the children of Israel would corrupt 
themselves after his death, and the book of Judges sufficiently 
testifies that such was really the case. King Joash did right as 
long as the high priest Jehoiada lived, but after the latter's 
death, it was soon ended. Soon after the time of Christ and his 
apostles the world was filled with seditious preachers and false 
teachers. Therefore to receive the grace of God in vain is 
nothing less than to hear the pure Word of God, and yet remain 
listless and irresponsive. Ungrateful for the Word and un- 
appreciative of it, we merit its loss. Such were the guests bidden 
to the supper, but who refused to come, and, going about their 
own business, provoked the master's anger until he swore they 
should not taste his supper. 

Stebntarg StoentQ-mnttj 

It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and 
it grieved him at his heart. Gen. 6: 6. 

If God is wise, how can regret for having created anything 
befall him? Why did he not see this sin or depraved nature 
of man from the beginning of the world? Are not the purposes 
of God eternal and unalterable, incapable of being regretted? 



FEBRUARY TWENTY-NINTH 



The meaning is not that God did not see these things from 
eternity ; he saw everything from eternity ; but inasmuch as this 
wickedness now manifests itself in all its fierceness, God now 
reveals the same in the hearts of his ministers and prophets. 
To this passage belong also other similar ones in which God is 
pictured as having eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands, and feet. In 
such passages the Bible speaks of God in the same manner as 
of a man. 

God condescends to the low plane of our understanding and 
presents himself to us with a childlike simplicity in representa- 
tions so that he may be made known to us in some way. The 
Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove; not because he 
was a dove, but in this crude form he desired to be recognized, 
received and worshiped, for it was really the Holy Spirit. When 
the Scriptures thus ascribe to God human form, voice, actions, 
and state of mind, it is intended as an aid for the uneducated 
and feeble; we, who have come to greater discernment of Scrip- 
ture, should likewise lay hold of these representations, because 
God has put them forth and revealed himself through them. 
I have constantly followed the rule to avoid, whenever possible, 
such questions as draw us before the throne of the highest 
Majesty. It is better and safer to stand at the manger of 
Christ, the man. To lose oneself in the labyrinths of divinitv 
is fraught with greatest danger. 

We cannot define the nature of God ; what he is not, we can 
well define — he is not a voice, dove, water, bread, wine. Yet 
in these visible forms he presents himself to us and deals with 
us, that we should not become unsettled spirits which dispute 
about God, who cannot be apprehended in his unveiled majesty. 
What we can apprehend and understand he has disclosed. Those 
abiding in these things will truly lay hold of him, while those 
following visions, revelations and illuminations will either be 
overwhelmed by his majesty or remain in densest ignorance 
about God. 

Devotional Readings 6. 



82 MARCH FIRST 



JHarrf? iFtnsi 

// the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer 
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the 
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your 
conscience from dead works to serve the living Godf Heb. 
9: 13, H. 

Christ sacrificed not goats, nor calves, nor birds; not bread, 
nor blood, nor flesh, as did Aaron and his descendants. He 
offered his own body and blood, and the manner of the sacrifice 
was spiritual, for it was offered through the Holy Spirit. Though 
the body and blood of Christ were visible like any other 
material object, the fact that he offered them as a sacrifice was 
not apparent. It was not a visible sacrifice as in the case of 
those offered at the hands of Aaron. Christ offered himself in 
heart before God. His sacrifice was perceptible to no mortal.. 
Therefore, his bodily flesh and blood became a spiritual sacrifice. 

In the new order, the tabernacle or house is spiritual; for it 
is heaven, or the presence of God. Christ hung upon a cross; 
he was not offered in a temple. He was offered before the eyes 
of God, and there he still abides. The cross is an altar in a 
spiritual sense. The material cross was indeed visible, but none 
knew it as Christ's altar. His prayer, his sprinkled blood, were 
all spiritual, for it was all wrought through his spirit. 

The fruit and blessing of his office and sacrifice, the forgive- 
ness of sins and our justification, are likewise spiritual. In the 
Old Covenant, the priest with his sacrifices and sprinklings of 
blood effected merely an external absolution, or pardon. It ren- 
dered no one inwardly holy and just before God. Something 
more than that was necessary to secure real forgiveness. With 
the priesthood of Christ there is true spiritual remission, sancti- 



MARCH SECOND 83 



ficatlon and absolution. These avail before God, whether we 
be outwardly excommunicated or not. Christ's blood has ob- 
tained for us pardon forever acceptable to God. He will for- 
give us our sins for the sake of that blood as long as its power 
shall last and its intercession for grace in our behalf shall con- 
tinue, which is forever. 



mardj g>?tmb 



Ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye 
suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if 
a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on 
the face. 2 Cor. 11 : 19, 20. 

Paul delivers a masterly stroke when with the same words 
he praises and rebukes the Corinthians. His commendation of 
their patience is in reality reproof. He means to say: I have 
preached the gospel to you at my own expense and jeopardy. 
By my labor you have attained to its blessing. You have done 
nothing for me in return, Lhave been no tax upon you. Now, 
upon my departure, others come and captivate you, and seek 
honor and profit from my labor. They boast as though the 
accomplishments were all theirs. Of these you become the 
disciples and pupils. Their preaching you accept, while mine 
becomes odious. My case is that of the bee which labors to 
gather honey and then come the idle drones and earthworms 
and consume the sweet which they have not gathered. 

You can suffer these false prophets though they be fools and 
teach you foolishness. In this you display wisdom and patience. 
But you do not suffer me, who taught you true wisdom. You 
can permit them to make servants of you, to be your lords and 
to order you to do their bidding. But I, who have made myself 
your servant, served you without profit to myself, that you 
might be lords with Christ, must now be ignored and all my 



84 MARCH THIRD 



labors lost. You suffer yourselves to be devoured; for you 
abundantly bestow your property upon them. But I have never 
enjoyed aught of yours. All my service has been without re- 
compense, that ye might become rich in Christ. 

You suffer the false teachers to take from you beyond your 
consent, to exalt themselves above you, to esteem themselves 
better than you and me, and to exercise their arrogance over 
you. But you deal not so with me, who have sacrificed my own 
substance, and have taken from others, that I might bring the 
gospel to you. They reproach you publicly, smite you in the 
face, put you to shame and abuse you with insolent words. But 
my patience with you, my parental tenderness, is remembered 
no more. 



iflarrlj ®Jjtr& 



He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to 
pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the 
people wondered. Luke 11: 14. 

The dumb, deaf, blind, and demon-possessed man represents 
ail the children of Adam, who through the flesh are possessed 
of Satan in original sin, so that they must be his slaves and do 
according to his will. Hence they are also blind, that is, they 
do not see God. They are deaf, for they do not hear God's 
Word, and are not obedient or submissive to it. They are also 
dumb, for they do not give him one word of thanks or praise, 
nor do they preach and proclaim Christ and the grace of God. 
But they are all too talkative about the teachings of the devil 
and the opinions of men. In these things they see only too well 
and are wiser than the children of light in their undertakings, 
opinions, and desires. In these things they hear with both ears 
and readily accept the suggestions of flesh and blood. There- 
fore whatever we do, in word and deed, as to body and soul, 



MARCH FOURTH 



is of the devil, whether it be externally good or bad, and must 
be redeemed through the work of God. When we are in his 
kingdom, we acknowledge him, see, hear and follow him, praise 
and proclaim his name. All this takes place through the Spirit 
of God in his Word, which casts out the devil and his kingdom. 
But when the stronger man, the Gospel, comes, peace flees, 
and he rages like a madman, for he resents being condemned, 
unmasked, punished and publicly branded. He gathers up his 
armor, the powerful, wise, rich and holy people, and sets them 
all to attacking God's Word, as we see in the persecution of 
the teachers of the gospel. Such rage and persecution signify 
that the devil retires very unwillingly and raves in his whole 
body; as he acts in the body and its members when he must 
depart, so he also behaves in the whole world, resisting with all 
his power when he is to give place to the gospel; but it is all 
in vain, he must be expelled. A stronger one, that is, Christ, 
comes and overpowers him and takes away his whole armor, 
that is, he converts some of those same persecutors, and to that 
extent makes him weaker and his own kingdom stronger. He 
divides the spoil, too, by using for various offices, graces, and 
works in Christendom those whom he converts. 



iWarrlj Jfourtlj 



Fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not 
be once named among you, as becometh saints. Eph. 5 : 3. 

In naming uncleanness in addition to fornication, the ref- 
erence is to all sensual affections in distinction from wedded 
love. They are too unsavory for Paul to mention, though in 
the first chapter of Romans he finds it expedient to speak of 
them without disguise. However, also wedded love must be 
characterized by moderation among Christians. While there 



86 MARCH FOURTH 



is a conjugal duty to be required by necessity, it is for the very 
purpose of avoiding unchastity and uncleanness. The ideal and 
perfect condition would be cohabitation with the sole view to 
procreation ; however, that is too high for attainment by all. 

Paul declares that the sin which he indicates should not even 
be named of the Ephesians. Unquestionably among Christians 
there will always be some infirm one to fall ; but we must labor 
diligently, correcting, amending, and restraining. We must 
not allow the offense to go unchallenged, but curtail and remedy 
it. An occasional fall among Christians must be borne with as 
long as right prevails in general and such things are neither 
tolerated nor taught, but reproved and amended. Paul counsels 
the Galatians that the brethren restore the fallen in a spirit of 
meekness ; and he blames the Corinthians for not reproving those 
who sin. I make this point for the sake of those who, as soon 
as they observe that all Christians are not perfectly holy, imagine 
there is no such thing as a Christian and think the gospel is 
impotent and fruitless. 

The writer of the epistle assigns the reason why it does not 
sound well to hear such things about Christians, — because they 
are saints and it behooves saints to be chaste and moderate, to 
practice and teach these virtues. He calls Christians "saints" 
notwithstanding that in this life they are clothed with sinful 
flesh and blood. Doubtless the term is not applied in conse- 
quence of their good works, but because of the holy blood of 
Christ. For Paul says, "But ye were washed, but ye were 
sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." Being holy, we should 
manifest our holiness by our deeds. Though we are still weak, 
yet we ought duly to strive to become chaste and free from 
covetousness, to the glory and honor of God and the edifying 
of unbelievers. 



MARCH FIFTH 87 



marrlj Jfftftlj 

Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, 
why do ye not believe me? John 8 : 46. 

This gospel teaches how persons become more hardened and 
furious, the more one teaches them, and lovingly urges them to 
do their duty. Christ asks them here in a very loving way for 
a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither 
with his life, nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for 
he challenges them with the words, "Which of you convinceth 
me of sin?" His teaching is also blameless; for he adds, "If 
I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" Thus Christ lives 
as he teaches. 

Every preacher should prove that he possesses, first, a blame- 
less life, by which he can defy his enemies and no one may have 
occasion to slander his teachings; secondly, that he possesses the 
pure doctrine, so that he may not mislead those who follow him. 
Thus he will be right and firm on both sides; with his good 
life against his enemies, who look much more at his life than 
at his doctrine, and despise the doctrine for the sake of the 
life ; with his doctrine among his friends, who have much more 
respect for his doctrine than for the kind of life he leads, and 
will bear with his life for the sake of his teaching. 

It is indeed true that no one lives so perfect a life as to be 
without sin before God. Therefore it is sufficient that we be 
blameless in the eyes of the people. But his doctrine must be 
so good and pure as to stand, not only before man, but also 
before God. Therefore every pious pastor may well ask, Who 
among you can find fault with my life? Among you, I say, 
who are men, but before God I am a sinner. Thus Moses 
boasts that he took nothing from the people and did them no 
injustice. Thus Samuel, Jeremiah, and Hezekiah rightly boasted 



MARCH SIXTH 



of their blameless life before the people to stop the mouths of 
blasphemers. But Christ does not thus speak of his doctrine, 
but says, "If I tell you the truth." For one must be assured 
that his doctrine is right before God and that it is the truth, 
and accordingly care not how it is judged by the people. The 
Jews have no ground for their unbelief; therefore Christ pro- 
nounces judgment upon them. 



JHarrtj ^ixtlj 

Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well 
that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, 
I have not a devil; but I honor my Father, and ye do dishonor 
me. John 8: 48, 49. 

"Thou art a Samaritan" sounds worse among the Jews than 
any crime. In these words Christ teaches us the fate that awaits 
us Christians and his Word ; both our life and doctrine must 
be condemned and reviled, and that by the foremost, wisest and 
greatest of earth. Thus one learns to know the corrupt tree by 
its fruits, as under the pretense of being good, they are so bitter, 
angry, impatient, cruel and mad as to condemn and pass sen- 
tence, when one touches them at their tender spot and rejects 
their ideas and ways. 

Christ here abandons his life to shame and dishonor, is silent 
and suffers them to call him a Samaritan, while he takes pains 
to defend his doctrine. For the doctrine is not ours, but God's. 
I should stake all I have and suffer all they do, that the honor 
of God and of his Word may not be injured. For if I perish, 
no great harm is done; but if I let God's Word perish, and 
remain silent, I do harm to God and the whole world. Al- 
though I cannot close their mouths, nor prevent their wicked- 
ness, nevertheless I shall not keep silent, nor act as if they were 



MARCH SEVENTH 89 



right. Although they do me injustice, yet it remains right be- 
fore God. Christ says, "I have not a devil," that is, my doctrine 
is not the devil's lies; but "I honor my Father," that is, I preach 
in my doctrine the grace of God, through which he is to be 
praised, loved and honored by believers. For the evangelical 
office of the ministry is nothing but glorifying God. 

When Christ says, "Ye dishonor me," he implies that the 
Father's and his honor are the same, as he and the Father are 
one God. Yet along with this he would also teach that if the 
office of the ministry, which God honors, is to be duly praised, 
then it must suffer disgrace. Thus we will do to our princes 
and priests; when they attack our manner of life, we should 
suffer it and show love for hatred, good for evil ; but when they 
attack our doctrine, God's honor is attacked, then love and 
patience should cease and we should not keep silent. Although 
the whole world reviles and dishonors us, we are assured that 
God will honor us, and will punish and judge the world. 



IHarrtj fhwutOf 

For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the 
day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the ac- 
cepted time; now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor. 6: 2. 

These words portray the riches of salvation, wherever the 
gospel abounds; nothing but grace and help; no wrath, no pun- 
ishment. Indeed, the apostle here employs words of unutterable 
meaning. He tells us that it is an acceptable time, as the Hebrew 
expresses it. Our way of putting it would be : This is a gracious 
time, a time when God turns away his wrath and is moved only 
by love and benevolence toward us and is pleased to do us good. 
All our sins are forgotten ; he takes no notice of the sins of the 
past, nor of those of the present. We are in a realm of mercy, 



90 MARCH EIGHTH 



where are only forgiveness and reconciliation. The heavens 
are now open. This is the golden year when man is denied 
nothing. Whatsoever thou shalt desire and ask for, thou shalt 
surely receive. Be not neglectful: ask while the acceptable 
time continues. 

Paul also declares that it is a day of blessing, "a day of salva- 
tion." It is a day of help, wherein we are not only acceptable 
and assured of God's favor and good will toward us, but we 
experience, even as we have been assured, that God really does 
help us. He verifies his assurance, for his beneficence gives 
testimony that our prayers are heard. We call it a happy day, 
a blessed day, a day of abundance; for these two truths are in- 
separably related, namely, that God is favorable toward us, 
and that his kindness is proof of his favor. God's favor toward 
us is revealed in the first clause, which speaks of an acceptable 
time ; that he extends help to us is revealed in the second clause, 
telling of a blessed day of succor. Both these facts are to be 
apprehended by faith and in good conscience; for a superficial 
judgment would lead to the view that this period of blessing 
is rather an accursed period of wrath and disfavor. Words like 
these, of a spiritual meaning, must be understood in the light of 
the Holy Spirit; thus shall we find that these two glorious, 
beautiful expressions refer to the gospel dispensation and are in- 
tended to magnify all the treasures and the riches of the king- 
dom of Christ. May we take heed and accept the gospel with 
fear and gratitude. 

iiarrlj 1Etgf?tlj 

The Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother f Gen. 
4:9- 

There is clearly pointed out to us here the truth of the resur- 
rection of the dead. This element of doctrine and of hope is 
found in the fact that the Lord inquires concerning the dead 



MARCH EIGHTH 



Abel. God thereby declares himself to be the God of Abel, 
although now dead. Upon this passage we may establish the 
incontrovertible principle that, if there were no one to care for 
us after this life, Abel would not have been inquired for after 
he was slain. But God inquires after Abel even when he had 
been taken from this life; he has no desire to forget him; he 
retains the remembrance of him; God, therefore, is the God of 
the dead. My meaning is that even the dead, as we see here, 
still live in the memory of God who cares for them, and saves 
them in another life beyond and different from this corporal life 
in which saints suffer affliction. 

This passage, therefore, is most worthy of our attention. A 
towering fact this, that Abel, though dead, was living and can- 
onized in another life, more effectually and truly than those 
whom the pope ever canonized. The death of Abel was indeed 
horrible; he did not suffer death without excruciating torment, 
nor without many tears. Yet it was a blessed death, for now 
he lives a more blessed life than he did before. This bodily life 
of ours is lived in sin, and is ever in danger of death. But that 
other life is eternal and perfectly free from trials and troubles, 
both of the body and of the soul. 

God inquires not after the sheep and oxen that are slain, 
but he does inquire after the men that are slain. Therefore 
men possess the hope of a resurrection. They have a God who 
brings them back from the death of the body unto eternal life, 
a God who inquires after their blood as a most precious thing. 
This is the glory of the human race obtained for it by the seed 
of the woman, which bruised the serpent's head. For God, in 
answer to Abel's faith in the promised seed, required the blood 
of the dead, and proved thereby to be his God still. 



92 MARCH NINTH 



iiarrfj Nintlj 



And he said, I know not: am I my brother s keeper? Gen. 
4: 9. 

Cain thinks he has made an effectual excuse for himself by 
saying that he is not his brother's keeper. But does he not con- 
fess by the very word "brother," which he takes upon his lips, 
that he ought to be his keeper? Is not that equal to accusing 
himself, and will not the fact that Abel is nowhere in evidence 
arouse the suspicion in the minds of his parents that he has been 
murdered? Just so also Adam excuses himself in paradise, and 
lays the blame on Eve. But the excuse of Cain is far more 
stupid; for while he excuses his sin he doubles it, whereas the 
frank confession of sin finds mercy and appeases wrath. All 
liars and hypocrites imitate Cain their father by either denying 
their sin or excusing it. Hence they cannot find pardon for 
their sins. 

But let us survey the order in which sins follow each other 
and increase. First Cain sins by presumption and unbelief, prid- 
ing himself on the privilege of his birthright. He takes it for 
granted that he shall be accepted of God on the ground of his 
own merit. Upon the pride and self-glorification follow envy 
and hatred of his brother, whom he sees preferred to himself by 
an unmistakable sign from heaven. Upon this envy and hatred 
follow hypocrisy and lying. Though he designs to murder his 
brother, he accosts him in a friendly manner and thereby throws 
him off his guard. Hypocrisy is followed by murder. Murder 
is followed by the excusing of his sin. And the last stage is 
despair, which is the fall from heaven to hell. 

Moses took special pains in the preparation of this account 
to serve as a witness against all hypocrites, and as a chronicle 
containing a graphic description of their character and ire 



MARCH TENTH 93 



aroused by Satan against God, his Word and his Church. It 
was not enough of this murderer that he killed his brother, but 
he added the further sin of becoming indignant and wrathful 
when God inquired of him concerning his brother. He is in- 
dignant that he should be called to an account concerning the 
matter at all. His reply is the language of one who resists and 
hates God. 



Harrlj Qtetttij 



And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened 
her mouth to receive thy brother s blood from thy hand. Gen. 
4: 11. 

We should mark as particularly worthy of note the discrimi- 
nation exercised by the Holy Spirit. When the penalty for his 
sin was inflicted upon Adam, a curse was placed, not upon the 
person of Adam, but only upon the earth; and even this curse 
was not absolute, but qualified. The expression is: "Cursed 
is the ground for thy sake;" and in Rom. 8: 20 we read: "The 
creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly." The earth, 
inasmuch as it bore guilty man, became involved in the curse 
as his instrument, just as the sword, gold and other objects are 
cursed for the reason that men make them the instrument of 
sin. The Holy Spirit discriminates between the earth and 
Adam. He diverts the curse to the earth, but saves the person. 

In this instance the Holy Spirit curses the person of Cain. 
Why is this? Is it because the sin of Cain, as a murderer, was 
greater than the sin of Adam and Eve? Not so. But because 
Adam was the root from whose flesh and loins Christ, that 
blessed seed, should be born. It is this seed that was spared. 
For the sake of this seed, the fruit of the loins of Adam, the 
curse is transferred from the person of Adam to the earth. 



94 MARCH ELEVENTH 



Thus, Adam bears the curse of the earth, but his person is not 
cursed; from his posterity Christ was to be born. 

Cain, since he fell by his sin, must suffer the curse being in- 
flicted upon his person. He hears it said to him, "Cursed art 
thou," that we might understand that he was cut off from the 
glory of the promised seed, and condemned never to have in his 
posterity that seed through which the blessing should come. 
Thus Cain was cast out from the stupendous glory of the prom- 
ised seed. Abel was slain ; therefore there could be no posterity 
from him. But Adam was ordained to serve God by further 
procreation. In Adam alone, after Cain's rejection, the hope 
of the blessed seed rested until Seth was born unto him. 

Mnrti\ Hewmtlj 

Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him 
sevenfold. Gen. 4: 15. 

God deprives Cain of all the divine blessings, both spiritual 
and civil. He mitigates that sentence by commanding that no 
one shall slay Cain. But he does not promise that all men shall 
surely obey his command. Therefore Cain, though possessing 
this promise in reference to his body, is still a fugitive and wan- 
derer. God left him in a life of uncertainty, doubt and restless 
wandering, and did no more than protect his life by a com- 
mand and threat which might restrain the wicked from killing 
him, on account of the certain awful punishment which would 
follow such destruction of the murderer. But a promise that 
he should not be murdered was withheld. The Scriptures are 
quite silent concerning the number of the years of Cain, and 
say nothing about the day of his birth or the day of his death. 
He perished, together with his whole generation. Only a few 
of his generation are excepted, who were saved by the uncove- 
nanted mercy of God. 



MARCH TWELFTH 95 



The question is here usually asked, to what persons could the 
words of Cain possibly apply, when he says, "Every one that 
findeth me shall slay me," when it is evident that besides Adam 
and Eve and their few daughters, no human beings were in 
existence. I would reply that they bear witness to the fact that 
we see the wicked "flee when no man pursueth." They imagine 
various perils where none really exist. Just as we see it in the 
case of murderers at the present, w^ho are filled with fears 
where all is safe, who can remain quiet nowhere, and who 
imagine death to be present everywhere. 

The words of the text cannot be referred exclusively to the 
fears within Cain, for he had sisters, and perhaps he greatly 
dreaded that sister whom he married, lest she should take venge 
ance on him for the murder of her brother. Moreover, Cain 
had perhaps a vague apprehension of a long life, and he saw 
that many more sons were born of Adam. He therefore feared 
the whole posterity of Adam. It greatly increased these fears 
that Adam had left him nothing more than his stray mercy. 

iKarrlj ultuelfttt 

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt 
in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Gen. 4: 16.' 

Moses leaves it to the thoughtful reader to reflect how miser- 
able and full of tears this departure of Cain from his father's 
house must have been. His godly parents had already lost their 
son Abel ; and now, at the command of God, the other son de- 
parts from them into banishment, loaded with divine curses, on 
account of his sin — the very son whom his parents had hoped 
to be the only heir of the promise. But they obey the com- 
mand of God and cast out their son. 

Adam and Eve had learned by their own experience in para- 
dise that it was no light sin to depart from the command of 



96 MARCH THIRTEENTH 

God; therefore they thought: Our sin in paradise has been 
punished with death, and with an infinite number of other calam- 
ities into which we have been thrown since we were driven out 
of paradise. Now that our son has committed so atrocious a 
sin, it behooves us not to resist the will of God and his right- 
eous judgment, however bitter we feel them to be. 

This departure from his home was, I have no doubt, most 
bitter also to Cain himself. For he was compelled to leave, not 
only the common home, his dear parents and their protection, 
but his hereditary right of primogeniture, the prerogative of 
the kingdom and of the priesthood, and the communion of the 
Church. Hence we have the expression in the text, that Cain 
went out from the presence of the Lord. "The presence" or 
"face of the Lord" are all those things and means by which the 
Lord makes himself known to us. Thus the face of the Lord, 
under the Old Testament, was the pillar of fire, the cloud, the 
mercy seat and the like. Under the New Testament, the face 
of the Lord is baptism, the Lord's Supper, the ministry of the 
Word. For by these things, as by visible signs, the Lord makes 
himself known to us, and shows that he is with us, that he cares 
for us and favors us. Cain "went out" to where there was no 
"face of God," no visible sign by which he could derive the 
consolation that God was present with his favor. A wretched 
departure full of tears. 



JMarrl? Sljtrtpjuttlj 

// Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lantech seventy and 
sevenfold. Gen. 4: 24. 

Here Lamech sets himself above his father Cain, making it 
appear that he had a more righteous cause for the murder he 
had committed, and fortifying himself against those inclined to 



MARCH THIRTEENTH 



avenge the murder perpetrated by him. For the words of the 
text are not the words of the Lord, but the words of Lamech 
himself. It is very probable that the patriarch Adam died about 
this time; and there is no doubt that Lamech seized this oppor- 
tunity of transferring the whole government of the world at 
that time to himself, that he might have all things under his 
own rule. 

Lamech is, therefore, an example of this world, and Moses 
points to him to show what kind of a heart, will, and wisdom 
the children of this world have. They gather riches, follow 
their pleasures, increase their power, and then abuse all these 
things by their tyranny, making use of them against the true 
Church, whose members they persecute and slay. In the midst 
of all these mighty sins, they fear not, but are proud and secure, 
saying, "What can the righteous do?" "Our lips are our own: 
who is lord over us?" Thus the true Church has ever Satan 
as its great enemy, as Christ also says, "that the devil was a 
murderer from the beginning." The Scriptures declare through- 
out concerning the true Church, that the wicked are ever shed- 
ding its blood. 

In this manner the Church was vexed with the cross and 
persecutions from the very beginning of the world until God, 
compelled by the wickedness of man, destroyed the whole world 
by the flood. So also, when the measure of Pharaoh's malice 
was full, he was drowned with all his host in the Red Sea. So 
also, when the malice of the Gentile nations was full, they were 
all uprooted and destroyed by Moses and Joshua. In the same 
manner later when the Jews raged against the gospel, they were 
so utterly destroyed that not one stone was left upon another 
in Jerusalem. Thus also Christ expressly testifies against them 
"that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the 
earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of 
Zacharias, son of Barachias." 

Devotional Readings 7. 



98 MARCH FOURTEENTH 



fWarrlj Sfaurtwttilj 



And she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said 
she , hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel. Gen. 
4: 25. 

Seth is derived from a Hebrew verb which signifies, "he 
placed," or "he established," and was intended to show that this 
son would be the foundation on which the promise concerning 
Christ would rest, even though many other sons should be born 
unto the parents. Eve does not give him an exalted name, such 
as "Cain," but one signifying that the posterity of Seth should 
never be suppressed or destroyed. The Cainites are left under 
a curse without any promise whatever, and they have only so 
much mercy as they receive from the generation of the righteous 
as beggars, not as heirs. 

Eve is highly to be praised as a most holy woman, full of 
faith and charity, because in the person of her son Seth she so 
nobly lauds the true Church, paying no regard whatever to the 
generation of the Cainites. She does not say, I have gotten 
another son in the place of Cain. She prefers the slain Abel 
to Cain, though Cain was the first-born. Praise is due not 
only to her faith but to her eminent obedience; for she is not 
only not offended at the judgment of God concerning righteous 
Abel, but she also changes her own judgment concerning God. 
When Abel was born she despised him, and magnified Cain as 
the first-born, and as the possessor, as she thought, of the promise. 
Now she acts quite to the contrary. As if she had said : After 
God's acceptance of him and of his offering, I had placed all 
my hopes on my son Abel, because he was righteous; but his 
wicked brother slew him. But now God hath appointed me 
another seed instead of Abel. She does not indulge her maternal 
affection for Cain. She does not excuse or lessen his sin; but 



MARCH FIFTEENTH 99 



she herself excommunicates him, already excommunicated of 
God. 

In Seth, then, we have a new generation, which arises from 
and comes to pass in accordance with the great original promise, 
that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. 
Appropriately the name Seth is bestowed, so that Eve may 
felicitate herself upon the fact that this seed is established, and 
safe from overthrow. 



marrfj Sftfimtil? 



And (God) spared not the old world, but saved Noah. . ., 
a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world 
of the ungodly. 2 Pet. 2 : 5. 

It is appalling that the whole human race except eight persons 
is destroyed, in view of the fact that this was truly the golden 
age; for succeeding ages do not equal the old world in glory, 
greatness, and majesty. And if God visited with destruction 
his own perfect creation and the very glory of the human race, 
we have just cause for fear. In inflicting this punishment, God 
followed his own peculiar way. Whatever is most exalted he 
particularly overthrows and humiliates. He did not spare the 
sublimest creatures — the angels — , nor the kings ruling his 
people, nor the first-born of all times. But the more highly 
they were blessed with gifts, the more sternly he punished them 
when they began to misuse his gifts. 

As God, who is by nature most kind, cannot refrain from 
gracing and showering us with various gifts, so we cannot re- 
frain from priding ourselves upon these gifts and flaunting 
them. Wretched is our life when we lack the gifts of God, 
but twice wretched is it when we have them; for they tend to 
make us doubly wicked. Such is the corruption of original sin, 
though all but believers are either unaware of its existence or 



:00 MARCH SIXTEENTH 



regard ft a trivial thing. How property inflates pride, though 
it occupies relatively the lowest place among blessings! The 
rich, be they noblemen or peasants, deem other people as flies. 
To an even greater extent are the higher gifts abused — wisdom 
and righteousness. This was the sin of the primeval world. 
Among Cain's descendants were good and wise men, who, never- 
theless, were wicked before God, for they prided themselves 
upon their gifts and despised God, the author. 

The old world was guilty, not only of sin against the second 
table of the commandments, but most of all of sin against the 
first by making a fine, but deceptive and false show of wisdom, 
godliness, and religion. As a result of the ungodliness in opposi- 
tion to the first table there followed that moral corruption of 
which Moses speaks, that people polluted themselves with all 
sorts of lusts and afterward filled the world with oppression and 
bloodshed. Because the ungodly world had trampled both 
tables under foot, God came to judge it, who is a consuming 
fire and a jealous God. 



fHarrlj g>txt?Mttlj 



Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk 
in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for 
us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor. 
Eph. 5: 1, 2. 

Paul admonishes us to be followers of the Father, as beloved 
children. He employs the most endearing terms — "dear chil- 
dren" — '- to persuade us with the Father's love to love even as 
we are loved. What manner of love has God manifested to- 
ward us? Not simply that love in which he gives temporal 
support to us unworthy beings in common with all the wicked 
on earth; that he permits his sun to rise on the just and the 



MARCH SEVENTEENTH IOI 

unjust and sends rain on the grateful and the ungrateful. Not 
only thus did God love us; but he has given his Son for us. 
In addition to showering upon us both temporal and eternal 
blessings he has given his own self with all he is, with all he 
has, with all he does. He who despises such glow of love, which 
fills all heaven and earth and is beyond all power to compre- 
hend; he who does not permit this love to kindle and incite in 
him love for his neighbor, whether enemy or friend, is not 
likely ever to become godly or loving by such measures as laws 
or commandments, instruction, constraint, or compulsion. 

"Walk in love," the apostle counsels. He would have our 
external life all love. But not the world's love is to be our 
pattern, which seeks only its own advantage, and loves only so 
long as it is the gainer thereby; we must love even as Christ 
loved, who sought neither pleasure, nor gain from us, but gave 
himself for us — gave himself as a sacrifice and offering to 
reconcile God unto ourselves, so that he should be our God and 
we his children. Thus are we to give, or even surrender our 
goods, whether friends claim them or enemies. We are to be 
ready to give our lives for both friends and enemies and must 
be occupied with the thought how we may serve others, and how 
life and property can be made to minister to them in this life, 
and this because we know that Christ is ours and has given us 
all things. All sacrifices are powerless but that of Christ him- 
self; he is the sweet-smelling savor. This sacrifice is pleasing 
to God. He gladly accepts it and would have us believe that 
it is an acceptable offering in our stead. 



ilarrij g>?vmUmtlf 



This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which 
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: 
and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6: 40. 

With these words Christ declares the Father's will, namely, 



102 MARCH SEVENTEENTH 



that we come to Christ, see him and believe in him, that we 
may not be cast out and lost. It is the Father's will that we 
attain unto eternal life. Therefore the will of the Father is 
that all who are given to Christ should be saved through Christ 
in eternity. These are significant words, since faith in Christ 
is sufficient for the attainment of eternal life. He does not say, 
Thou shalt fast and pray and do this and that, but, If thou wilt 
believe in the Son, thou shalt be saved ; and this is the Father's 
will. 

But are we not to do any good works? Yes, they are to fol- 
low faith, for faith must have good works; but eternal life is 
not attained by good works, since it is impossible to keep the 
law. No saint was ever found on earth who has loved God 
with his whole heart and his fellow man as himself. Therefore 
God has not said, I should be the one to give life to myself or 
keep myself. To give life and keep it depends on two things, 
namely, seeing and believing. These words are easily said, but 
no one knows what faith means. It is a grand art and doctrine 
from which no saint has ever graduated or was able to fathom, 
unless he was steeped in despair, or cast into throes of external 
danger and death. The power and effect of faith are especially 
seen in temptations, when sin, death, devil, and hell are over- 
come. Nor are these weak enemies ; they bring out perspiration, 
weaken our limbs, and make heaven and earth cramped. When 
the devil and death come, no one can help except only the 
person who has said, I am he who shall sustain thee. Under 
such conditions we learn what faith is. 

He adds, "and I will raise him up at the last day," to refute 
the foolish understanding of the flesh. That the carnal sense 
may not here be applied, as though eternal life would be given 
without physical death, he tells us before that they will indeed 
die, but will not lose eternal life, as they shall be raised again 
q.t the last day. 



MARCH EIGHTEENTH 103 



Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he 
shall never see death. John 8: 51. 

By these words Christ breaks entirely with the Jews in that 
he ascribes such virtue to his teaching that it becomes a powerful 
emperor over Satan, death, and sin, to give and sustain eternal 
life. Here see, how divine wisdom and human reason are in 
conflict with one another. How can a human being grasp the 
thought, that a corporeal, an oral word should redeem forever 
from death? But let blindness run its course. Christ is speak- 
ing here not of the word of the law, but of the gospel, which 
is a discourse about Christ, who died for our sins. For God did 
not wish to impart Christ to the world in any other way ; he had 
to embody him in the Word and thus distribute him, and pre- 
sent him to everybody ; otherwise Christ would have existed for 
himself alone and remained unknown to us; he would have 
thus died for himself. But when the Word places Christ before 
us, it places us before one who has triumphed over death, sin, 
and Satan. Therefore he who grasps and retains Christ has 
eternal deliverance from death. Consequently it is a Word of 
life, and it is true that whosoever keeps the Word shall never 
see death. 

From this we may well understand what Christ meant by 
the word "keep ;" it is not such keeping as one keeps the law 
by good works; for this word of Christ must be kept in the 
heart by faith and not by good works. The Jews rage fearfully 
against Christ, that Abraham and the prophets are dead ; they 
know nothing of what it is to "keep," to "die," or to "live." 
And to "keep" is not said in vain; for there is a conflict and 
battle when sin bites, death presses and hell faces us; then we 
are to be in earnest in holding firmly to the Word and let noth- 



104 MARCH NINETEENTH 

ing separate us from it. Thus you see how Christ answers 
the Jews and praises his own teachings. You say, my Word 
is of the devil, and wish to sink it to the bottom of perdition; 
on the contrary I say to you that it has divine power in it, and 
I exalt it higher than the heaven of heavens, and above all 
creatures. 

ilarrij Htntamilj 

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: 
yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 
Isa. 53 : 4. 

Some reflect upon the sufferings of Christ in such way as to 
become angry at the Jews, sing and lament about poor Judas, 
and are then satisfied. Such is not a meditation on the suffer- 
ings of Christ, but on the wickedness of Judas and the Jews. 
Others have pointed out the different fruits springing from a 
consideration of Christ's passion. The saying is ascribed to 
Albertus, that to think once, and that only superficially, of the 
sufferings of Christ is better than to fast a whole year or to pray 
the Psalter every day. Some people thus blindly follow him 
and act contrary to the true fruits of Christ's passion; for they 
seek therein their own selfish interests. A third class so sym- 
pathize with Christ as to weep and lament for him because he 
was so innocent, like the women who followed Christ from 
Jerusalem, whom he rebuked, telling them they had better weep 
for themselves and their children. 

They meditate aright on the passion of Christ, who so view 
Christ as to become terror-stricken in heart at the sight, and 
their conscience at once sinks in despair. This terror-stricken 
feeling should spring forth, so that you see the severe wrath 
and the unchangeable earnestness of God in regard to sin and 
sinners, in that he was unwilling that his only and dearly be- 



MARCH TWENTIETH IO5 



loved Son should set sinners free unless he paid this costly ran- 
som for them. There must be an earnestness here that is in- 
expressible and unbearable, that a person so immeasureably great 
goes to meet, and suffers and dies for it. If you reflect that 
God's Son, the eternal wisdom of the Father, himself suffers, 
you will indeed be terror-stricken ; and the more you reflect, the 
deeper will be the impression. You must really believe and 
never doubt in the least that you are the one who thus martyred 
Christ. For your sins most surely did it. Thus Peter struck 
and terrified the Jews, when he said to them all in common, 
"Him have ye crucified," so that three thousand were terror- 
stricken the same day and trembling cried to the apostles: "O 
beloved brethren, what shall we do?" Where man does not 
come to this point, the sufferings of Christ have become of no 
true benefit to him. 



JHarrlj 2fonmtu>tlt 



Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance 
of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, 
the messenger of Satan to buffet me. 2 Cor. 12: 7. 

And must this mighty apostle, O merciful God, be subject 
to trials lest he exalt himself because of his great revelations? 
Then how should others, how should such infirm beings as we, 
be free from self-exaltation? The thorn stands for something 
painful and afflicting. In "a thorn of the flesh" the thought 
is not of an instrumentality whereby the flesh stings, but of 
something that stings the flesh. The Greek text impels us to 
think of a thorn for the flesh. We may imagine Paul as saying : 
"As a clog to a dog's neck, as a ring in a bear's nose, a bit in 
a horse's mouth, or a gag in the mouth of a swine, so is my 
thorn a clog to my body lest I exalt myself." 

Paul himself explains the nature of the clog, or thorn. He 



106 MARCH TWENTY-FIRST 

calls it "a messenger of Satan," a devil, to "buffet" him, or to 
jog him. Hence a spiritual trial cannot be meant. The ex- 
planation appeals to me that the persecutions and sufferings, 
which the apostle recounts, constitute the devil's flaying. Thus 
his meaning would be: I have received great revelations, for 
which reason the clog is bound to the dog; that is, the many 
dangers and misfortunes with which the angel of the devil 
buffets and humiliates my body will make me forget to exalt 
myself. They are the thorn in my flesh, or upon my body; for 
God will not permit it to come upon my soul. 

The text seems to imply some peculiar work of the devil upon 
Paul's body, for it says, the thorn, or clog, is the messenger 
which Satan employs to beat his body; also that the apostle 
thrice, diligently but unavailingly, besought the Lord to remove 
it. I do not imagine him praying for the cessation of persecu- 
tions in a spirit of unwillingness to suffer them. But since he 
does not specify the affliction, we must let it remain a secret, 
a distress only known to himself. It is enough for us to know 
that while God had given him great revelations, revelations 
beyond human ken, he also bound the clog to him — gave him 
a thorn for his body — to prevent the exaltation of himself; 
and the knowledge of the buffetings and flaying caused by this 
clog, or devil, are likewise beyond human ken. 

iMarrij Gfoienta-ftrfii 

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1 : 4. 

Just as we interpret the words of Christ, when he says, "I am 
the life," so also should we interpret these words, and say noth- 
ing philosophically of the life of the creatures in God; on the 
contrary, we should consider how God lives in us and makes 
us partakers of his life, so that we live through him, of him, and 
in him. For it cannot be denied that through him natural life 
also exists, which even unbelievers have from him. Natural 



MARCH TWENTY-SECOND 107 

life is a part of eternal life, its beginning, but on account of 
death it has an end, because it does not acknowledge and honor 
him from whom it comes; sin cuts it off so that it must die 
forever. On the other hand, those who believe in him, and ac- 
knowledge him from whom they have their being, shall never 
die; but this natural life of theirs will be extended into eternal 
life, so that they will never taste death. "He that believeth 
in me, though he die, yet shall he live." These and similar 
passages are well understood when we rightly learn to know 
Christ, how he overcame death and has brought us to life. 

When the evangelist says, "In him was life," and not, "In 
him is life," as though he spoke of things past, the words must 
not be taken to mean the time before creation, or the time of 
the beginning ; but they must be referred to the time of Christ's 
life or sojourn upon earth, when the Word of God appeared 
to men and among men ; for the evangelist proposes to write 
about Christ and that life in which he accomplished all things 
necessary for our life. 

The words of the evangelist therefore simply refer to the 
sojourn of Christ on earth. Whoever will disregard the life 
and sojourn of Christ on earth, and will wish to find him in 
some other way than as he now sits in heaven, will always fail. 
He must look for him as he was and sojourned on earth, and 
he will then find life. Here Christ was made our life, light, 
and salvation. "In him was life," not that he is not our life 
now, but that he does not now do that which he then did. 

iflarrij Qmmty-BHtmb 

Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye 
should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found 
in his mouth. 1 Pet. 2: 21, 22. 

The atonement is the chief, the most exalted article of Chris- 
tian doctrine. Faith alone apprehends it as the highest good, 



108 MARCH TWENTY-SECOND 

the greatest blessing of our salvation, and recognizes that we 
cannot, by our works or our sufferings, do or merit anything to 
atone for sin. The manner in which this subject is Scripturally 
presented prohibits us from adding to it anything of human 
origin. But so the accursed popedom has done in the teaching 
of its pillars and supporters, the monks, who regard the suffer- 
ings of Christ merely as an example for us. This is a doctrine 
not found in the Word of God, but is one of their own trivial, 
self-selected, self-devised and false human teachings. 

They have carried their untruthful, worthless inventions to 
the extent of claiming for the saints not only sufficient acquired 
merit for their own salvation, but a large accumulated surplus 
available for others, which they have bequeathed to the pope, 
thus furnishing him with an abundant treasury. Through in- 
dulgences the pope is to distribute this excess, these superfluous 
merits, as he feels disposed, at the same time dipping out for 
himself and his own fat swine the riches of the world ; indeed, 
the ecclesiasts distribute their own merits and works. Oh, 
shameful abomination, that in the temple of God and in the 
Christian Church must be taught things which make wholly 
insignificant the sufferings and death of Christ ! Gracious God ! 
what can be said for human merit, for superfluity of human 
merit, when not one saint on earth has, with all his pains, suf- 
fered enough to cancel his own obligations, much less to be 
entitled to the honor of making his sufferings avail anything 
before God's judgment seat, by way of remuneration or satis- 
faction for t-he mortal sins of others in the face of divine wrath ? 

The theme of Christ's passion must far outrank every other. 
His sufferings are like pure and precious gold, compared to which 
ours is nothing. No one but Christ has suffered for the sins 
of another. The saint ought to be ashamed to boast of his suf- 
ferings in comparison with those of Christ, and ought to rejoice 
in the privilege of being partaker of the divine plan, of sharing 
as far as he can, and thus be found in the footsteps of Christ. 



MARCH TWENTY-THIRD KX) 

The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isa. 53 : 6. 

When man perceives his sins and is completely terror-stricken 
in his conscience, he must be on his guard that his sins do not 
remain in his conscience. Just as our sins flow out from a 
meditation upon the sufferings of Christ and we become con- 
scious of them, so we should pour them again upon him and 
set our conscience free. Therefore see well to it that you act 
not like perverted people, who bite and devour themselves with 
their sins in their hearts, and run here and there with their good 
works or their own satisfaction, even work themselves out of 
this condition by means of indulgences, and thus try to rid them- 
selves of their sins, which is impossible. Such false refuge of 
satisfaction and pilgrimages has spread far and wide. 

Cast your sins from yourself upon Christ, believe with a 
joyful spirit that your sins are his sufferings and wounds, that 
he carries them and makes satisfaction for them. For if you 
do not take this course, you will never quiet your heart and 
secure peace, but you must finally despair in doubt. For if we 
deal with our sins in our conscience and let them continue 
within us and cherish them in our hearts, they become much too 
strong for us to manage and will live forever. But when we 
see that they are laid on Christ and that he has triumphed over 
them by his resurrection, and we fearlessly believe it, then they 
are dead and have become as nothing. In his sufferings Christ 
made known our sins and crucified them; but by his resurrec- 
tion he makes us righteous and free from all sin. 

Now if you are not able to believe this, you should pray to 
God for faith. For this is a matter in the hands of God, and 
is bestowed at times knowingly and at times secretly. Now 
bestir yourself not to behold Christ's sufferings any longer, but 



HO MARCH TWENTY-FOURTH 



press through all difficulties and behold his friendly heart, how 
full of love it is toward you, which love constrained him to bear 
the heavy load of your conscience and of your sin. Thus will 
your heart be glad and loving toward him, and the assurance 
of your faith be strengthened. 



JUarrfj Qfaumig-ffluriit 

They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affec- 
tions and lusts. Gal. 5 : 24. 

When your heart is established in Christ, and you are an 
enemy of sin, out of love and not out of fear of punishment, 
Christ's suffering should be an example for your whole life, and 
you should meditate on the same in this way. If a day of sorrow 
or sickness weighs you down, think how trifling that is com- 
pared with the thorns and nails of Christ. If you must do or 
leave undone what is distasteful to you, think how Christ was 
led hither and thither, bound a captive. Does pride attack you, 
think how your Lord was mocked and disgraced with mur- 
derers. Do unchastity and lust thrust themselves against you, 
think how bitter it was for Christ to have his tender flesh torn, 
pierced and beaten again and again. Do hatred and envy war 
against you, or do you seek vengeance, remember how Christ, 
who had more reason to seek revenge, prayed for you and all his 
enemies with tears and cries. If trouble or whatever adversity 
of body or soul afflict you, strengthen your heart and say : Ah, 
why should I not also surfer a little, since my Lord sweat blood 
in the garden because of anxiety and grief? That would be a 
lazy, disgraceful servant who would wish to lie in his bed while 
his lord was compelled to battle with the pangs of death. 

One can thus find in Christ strength and comfort against all 
vice and bad habits. This is the right observance of Christ's 



MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH I 1 1 

passion and the fruit of his suffering, and he who exercises him- 
self thus in the same does better than by hearing the whole 
Passion or reading all masses. They are called true Christians 
who incorporate the life and name of Christ into their own life. 
For Christ's passion must be dealt with not in words and a 
show, but in our lives and in truth. Paul admonishes: ''Con- 
sider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against 
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." And 
Peter says: "Forasmuch as Christ has suffered for us in the 
flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind ; for he that 
hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin." 



Ularrif ®umttg-ftftfj 



/ said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and 
thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32 : 5. 

The first kind of confession is that which is made to God and 
teaches us that we are all alike wicked sinners. If any one have 
special grace, let him thank God and refrain from boasting. 
Has any one fallen into sin, it is because of his flesh and blood, 
nor has any fallen so low but that another who now stands may 
fall even lower. This kind of confession is so highly necessary 
that it dare not cease for a moment, but must constitute the 
entire life of a Christian, so that without ceasing he praises the 
grace of God and reproaches his own life in his presence. 

The second confession is that made to our neighbor, and is 
called the confession springing from love, as the former is called 
confession springing from faith. Of this confession we read, 
"Confess your faults one to another." This kind of confession 
like the former is necessary and commanded; for God will be 
merciful to no one, nor forgive his sins, unless he also forgive 
his neighbor. Besides, faith cannot be true unless it produces 
this fruit, that you forgive your neighbor, and that vou ask for 



112 MARCH TWENTY-SIXTH 

forgiveness; otherwise a man dare not appear before God. If 
this fruit is absent, faith and the first kind of confession are not 
honest. 

The third kind of confession is that ordered by the pope, 
which is privately spoken into the ears of the priest when sins 
are enumerated. This confession is not commanded of God ; 
the pope has forced the people to it and consciences have been 
troubled and tortured in a manner that is pitiful and distressing. 
Hence we say of private confession, that no one is compelled to 
observe it. Still it is a commendable and good thing. When 
you go to private confession do not give heed so much to what 
you do, as to what the minister says, that in God's stead he 
proclaims to you the forgiveness of sins. The word which he 
speaks is not his, but God's Word ; and God will keep it as 
surely as if he had spoken it himself. This is the way God has 
placed his Word into every corner of the world. Therefore 
you ought not to despise it, but receive it with heartfelt desire in 
true faith. 

iUarrlj 5to*ttfg-Btxtfj 

With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with 
the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom. 10: 10. 

Let it be said concerning confession that everything ought to 
be free, so that each person attends without restraint, of his own 
accord. But what ought one to confess? Here is where our 
preachers in the past have pounded a great deal into us by means 
of the five senses, the seven deadly sins, the ten commandments 
and the like, thereby perplexing our consciences. But it should 
be that you first of all feel that which weighs you down, and the 
sins that pain you most and burden your conscience. These you 
ought to declare and confess to your brother. You need not 
search long nor seek all kinds of sins; just take the ones that 



MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH 113 

come to your mind, and say, This is how frail I am and how I 
have fallen ; this is where I crave consolation and counsel. For 
confession ought to be brief. If you recall something that you 
have forgotten, it is not to trouble you ; for you made confession, 
not as a good work, nor because you were compelled, but in order 
to be comforted by the word of absolution. Moreover, you can 
easily confess to God in secret what was forgotten, or you can 
hear the absolution for it during the communion service. 

We are therefore not to worry, even if sins have been forgot- 
ten ; though forgotten they are still forgiven ; for God looks not 
to the excellence or completeness of your confession, but to his 
Word and how you believe it. So also the absolution does not 
state that some sins are forgiven and others not ; it is a free proc- 
lamation declaring that God is merciful to you. But if God 
is merciful to you all your sins must be blotted out. Therefore 
hold fast to the absolution alone and not to your confession ; 
whether or not you have forgotten anything makes no differ- 
ence; to the extent that you believe you are forgiven. There- 
fore confession and absolution must be carefully distinguished, 
that you give attention chiefly to the absolution, and that you 
attend confession not to do a good work, thinking that because 
of this good work your sins are forgiven. We are to go only 
because we there hear God's Word and by it receive consolation. 
This is confessing in the right way. 



A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again, a little 
while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. John 
16: 16. 

"A little while," Christ says, "and ye shall not see me," for 
I shall be taken prisoner and they shall deliver me to death. 



Devotional Readings 8. 



114 MARCH TWENTY-SEVENTH 

But it will not last long, and during this short time ye shall be 
sorrowful, but only remain steadfast in me and follow me. 
Three days I will be in the grave; the world will rejoice as 
though it had gained a victory, and ye shall be sorrowful and 
shall weep and lament. Again a little while, and ye shall se me," 
that is, on the third day I will rise again; then ye shall rejoice 
and your joy no man shall take from you; this will not be a 
joy of only three days, like the joy of the world, but an eternal 
joy. 

An example is here given us which we should diligently take 
to heart; in suffering, anxiety and distress, we should also re- 
member to be strong and to rejoice because Christ will rise 
again. We know that this has come to pass; but the disciples 
did not know what he meant, by the resurrection, hence they 
were so sad and sorrowful. They heard, indeed, that they 
should see him, but they did not understand what it was, nor how 
it should come to pass. To such an extent had sadness and sor- 
row overcome them that they quite despaired. 

But since they were unable to understand it, why does Christ 
relate it or why is it written? In order that we should not 
despair but hold fast to the Word, assured that it is indeed thus, 
and not otherwise, even though it seems to be different. We 
should take to heart and firmly hold fast to these words and keep 
them in mind when in sorrow and distress; it will not last 
long, and then we shall also have more constant joy, for as 
Christ and his elect had their "little while," so you and I and 
every one will have his "little while." Pilate and Herod will 
not crucify you, but in the same manner as the devil used them, 
so he will also use your persecutors. When your trials come, 
you must not immediately think how you are to be delivered out 
of them. God will help you in due time. Only wait. It is only 
for a little while, he will not delay long. 



MARCH TWENTY-EIGHTH 115 



JHarrij atowtg-ngffttj 



When he (the Comforter) is come, he will reprove the world 
. . .of sin, because they believe not on me. John 16: 8, 9. 

This is the sin of the world that it does not believe in Christ. 
Not that there is no sin of the world besides this; but that 
this is the real chief sin, which condemns the whole world 
though it could be charged with no other sin. Thus this preach- 
ing of conviction is to begin if people are to be brought to a 
right knowledge and to salvation. The first thing shall be this, 
that it makes all men sinners, because they do not believe in 
Christ. Hence God's wrath is declared and the judgment of 
eternal death is pronounced upon those who in the sight of the 
world are irreproachable, who even strive with earnestness to live 
according to the law, or the ten commandments. How is this? 
Is it sin to live according to the ten commandments? Surely 
not ; but these are not kept. The world recognizes only public, 
external sins, such as murder, adultery, robbery and what the 
jurists call and punish as crime. But God's law demands not 
merely outward form and compliance; it goes to the heart and 
demands its perfect obedience. Therefore it also judges man 
not only by his outward walk and conduct, but by the depths 
of his heart. The world does not know nor see the true offenses, 
such as contempt of God, impurity of the heart, and disobedience 
to God's will, which things are and remain in all men who are 
not sanctified by Christ. 

Because no man fulfils the commandments and can be without 
sin before God, God resolved to send his Son into the world 
that he might become a sacrifice for us and make satisfaction for 
our sins by the shedding of his blood in death, and take away 
from us the wrath of God, which no creature could reconcile, 
bring forgiveness of sins and bestow upon us the Holy Spirit, 



Il6 MARCH TWENTY-NINTH 

so that we might obtain all this, begin to become new men, and 
come out of sin and death to righteousness and eternal life. 
This God has now done and has commanded us to preach it 
through the gospel. He demands of all men repentance and 
faith. He that believes this preaching has by this faith forgive- 
ness of sins and is in the grace of God. But if they will not 
accept this Saviour by faith, they are justly condemned in their 
sins. 

iTOardj Stuetttg-mtttfj 

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name 
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Acts 
10: 43. 

This verse constitutes the principal theme of one of Peter's 
sermons. It is one of the greatest in the writings of the apostles. 
It contains the vital element of the gospel message, teaching how 
we may appropriate its blessings, how obtain what it offers, 
namely, by faith; faith lays hold of what is offered us in the 
gospel. The message is preached that we may receive and re- 
tain it. Through the Word the blessing is pronounced our own 
— it is offered or given us ; but by faith we receive it, make it 
our own, permit it to work in us. 

This power and work in us is called by Peter "remission of 
sins." This is the blessing conferred through the preaching of 
the doctrine of Christ, or articles of faith, particularly the ar- 
ticle of the resurrection. The meaning of the new message of 
comfort, the new declaration, is that Christ, through his resur- 
rection, has in himself conquered our sin and death, has turned 
away the wrath of God and procured grace and salvation ; that 
he has commanded forgiveness to be preached unto us, desiring 
us to believe that he gives it and confidently to receive it through 
faith. 



MARCH THIRTIETH II7 



Faith must be of such a character as to apprehend and hold fast 
the truth Peter declares in this verse. It must say, "In his name." 
That is, it must ascribe to Christ alone the entire agency, merit 
and power responsible for remission of sins; must believe we 
have forgiveness, not through our own worthiness, but for 
Christ's sake alone; must believe that by virtue of Christ's res- 
urrection we obtain remission of sins, every namable element 
not from Christ being completely excluded, and the honor given 
to him alone. The efficacy of Christ's death and blood alone 
God would have preached in all the world and accepted by man- 
kind. Therein he rejects the boasting of the Jews and of all 
aspirers to holiness through their own works, teaching them 
that they cannot obtain his favor through the law, or by their 
own efforts. In Christ's name alone is remission of sins re- 
ceived, and that through faith. We ought to be ashamed to 
doubt or question the fact of forgiveness of sins and justifica- 
tion before God through Christ alone, to which all Scripture 
testifies. 

Hard? Spirit**!? 

Whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. 
Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. 
Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 2 Cor. 11 : 21, 22. 

In whatever the false apostles can boast, Paul says, I can like- 
wise glory. Here we are shown what is the ground of the false 
apostles' boasting ; their outward respectability — being of Abra- 
ham's seed, children of Israel, Christ's preachers. In these they 
think far to excel the Corinthians, claiming their doctrine and 
works to be of greater weight because they have Moses and the 
prophets for their teachers. But they failed to perceive that 
their boast is in mere externals, that render no one righteous 
or better before God. Names are of no consequence ; they only 



MARCH THIRTIETH 



make a fine show and serve to seduce the simple-minded. Paul 
boasts of his origin and yet derides his boasting, calling it fool's 
work. His object is to destroy the boasting of the false prophets, 
that the people might not be deceived. 

Note how, even in Paul's time, great men erred concerning 
the true sense of the gospel, and many noble preachers would 
have estimated Christian life by a merely external appearance 
and name. The true spiritual preachers must have been few. 
Should it be strange, then, that in our time sincere preachers are 
not numerous, and that the majority of ministers riot in what 
they themselves seem and do? It cannot and will not be other- 
wise. The thievish drones, which are prone to riot, let them 
riot! We will resist to the utmost of our power, commending 
the matter to God, who doubtless will grant us sufficient honor 
and profit, both temporal and eternal, though we must labor 
gratuitously, receiving injury and derision as our reward. Our 
adversaries will not long continue their persecutions, for, as 
Paul says just preceding our text, they will eventually receive 
their deserts. 

Paul boasts of certain temporal afflictions in which he excels 
the false apostles, who suffer nothing for the sake either of the 
Word or of souls, but only boast of name and person. Among 
the afflictions he names having been a night and a day in the deep. 
Of other afflictions affecting not his own person, but distressing 
others, he mentions two: he is weak, if another is weak, and 
burns, if another is offended. Thereby he plainly portrays the 
ardor of his heart — the defects and sorrows of others pain him 
as his own. 



MARCH THIRTY-FIRST Iig 

iffllarrij Slfirtg-ftrat 

They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and 
that Rock was Christ. 1 Cor. 10: 4. 

Christ has been typified by various signs and objects in the 
Old Testament, and the rock is one of them. Note first, that 
the material rock spoken of had a place independently of man's 
labors and far from man's domain, in the wilderness. So 
Christ is a truly insignificant object in the world, disregarded 
and unnoticed, nor is he indebted to human labor. Water 
flowing from the rock is contrary to nature; it is purely 
miraculous. The water typifies the quickening spirit of God, 
who proceeds from the condemned, crucified and dead Christ. 
Thus life is drawn from death, and this by the power of God. 
Christ's death is our life, and if we would live we must die 
with him. 

Moses strikes the rock at the command of God and points 
to it, thus prefiguring the ministerial office which by word of 
mouth strikes from the spiritual rock the Spirit. For God 
will give his Spirit to none without the instrumentality of 
the Word and the ministerial office instituted by him for this 
purpose, adding the command that nothing be preached but 
Christ. Had not Moses obeyed the command of God to 
?mite the rock with his rod, no water would ever have flowed 
from it. His rod represents the rod of the mouth of which 
Isaiah speaks: "He shall smite the earth with the rod of his 
mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the 
wicked." 

By this statement about the rock the apostle makes all the 
figures and signs granted to the people of Israel by the Word 
of God refer to Christ; for where the Word of God is, there 
Christ is. All the words and promises of God are concerning 



20 APRIL FIRST 



Christ. Christ himself makes the serpent of Moses refer to him- 
self. We may truly say that the Israelites looked upon the 
same serpent we behold, for they saw the spiritual serpent that 
followed them, or Christ on the cross. The beholding was 
believing in the Word of God, with the serpent for a sign, 
even as their spiritual drinking was believing in the Word 
of God with the rock for a sign. We may say the same con- 
cerning the cloud. The children of Israel walked under the 
same cloud that shadows us; they walked under the spiritual 
cloud that followed them — Christ. 

April Stoat 

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not: for God took 
him. Gen. 5 : 24. 

For a man to walk with God is not to flee into a desert, or 
to conceal himself in some corner, but to go forth in his voca- 
tion, and to set himself against the iniquity and malice of Satan 
and the world, and to confess the seed of the woman; to con- 
demn the religion and pursuits of the world, and to preach, 
through Christ, another life after this. This is the manner of 
life led for three hundred years by the greatest prophet and 
high priest of his generation. Moses, therefore, deservedly ex- 
tols Enoch as a disciple of greatest eminence, taught and trained 
by many patriarchal masters, and so equipped with the Holy 
Spirit that he was the prophet of prophets and the saint of saints 
in that primeval world. 

It was the will of God that he should be an example to the 
whole world in verifying and showing the comfort of the faith 
in the future life. He is to preach the life beyond this present 
life; to teach concerning the seed to come, concerning the ser- 
pent's head that is to be bruised and the kingdom of Satan that 



APRIL SECOND 121 



is to be destroyed. Such was the preaching of Enoch, who was, 
nevertheless, a husband and the father of a family; who had 
a wife and children, who governed his household, and procured 
his subsistence by the labor of his own hands. This godly man 
lived, after the birth of Methuselah, 300 years in the truest 
religion, in faith, in patience, and in the midst of a thousand 
crosses, all of which he endured and overcame by faith in the 
blessed seed. 

Enoch's walking with God signifies that he was in this life 
a faithful witness of eternal life to be gained after this life 
through the promised seed. Inasmuch as Enoch constantly 
preached this doctrine, God verified and fulfilled this preaching 
in the patriarch himself, that we might fully and surely believe 
it ; in that Enoch, a man like ourselves, born of flesh and blood, 
as we also are, of the seed of Adam, was taken up into heaven 
by God, and now lives the life of God, that is, an eternal life. 



April 9?nmii 



By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; 
and was not found, because God had translated him: for before 
his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Heb. 
11: 5. 

As among us we find many to whom such things are con- 
sidered absurd, and not sufficiently worthy of faith, so there is 
no doubt that this account was deemed ridiculous by most people. 
For that reason these things have by divine authority been com- 
mitted to writing and recorded for the saints and the faithful, 
that they might read, understand, believe and heed them. They 
present to our sight a manifest triumph over death and sin, and 
afford us a sure comfort in Enoch's victory over the law, and 
the wrath and judgment of God. To the godly nothing can 



122 APRIL SECOND 



yield more grace and joy than these antediluvian records. What 
facts could inspire more wonder and admiration than that a 
man, born of flesh and blood, as we are, and defiled as we are 
by sin and corruption, so obtained the victory over death as not 
to die at all! Christ himself is a man, and righteous, yet our 
sins caused him to suffer the bitterest of all deaths ; but he is 
delivered on the third day, and lifts himself unto life eternal. 
In Enoch is the singular fact that he died not at all, but was 
caught up, without death intervening, to the life spiritual and 
eternal. 

This fact makes the narrative under consideration so memor- 
able that God intended to use it for the purpose of setting before 
the old, primeval world the hope of a better life. Likewise, to 
the second world, which had the law, God gave the example 
of Elijah, who also was taken up into heaven and translated by 
the Lord before the very eyes of his own servant Elisha. We 
are now in the New Covenant, in a third world, as it were. 
We have Christ himself, our great deliverer, as our glorious 
example, who ascended into the heavens, taking with him many 
of his saints. 

It was God's will to establish in every age a testimonial of the 
resurrection of the dead, that he might allure our minds from 
this corrupt and in many ways wretched life, in which we gladly 
serve God as long as it shall please him by the faithful per- 
formance of all public and private duties, and especially by 
instructing others in holiness and in the knowledge of God. Here 
we have "no certain dwelling place." Christ has gone to pre- 
pare a place for us. 



APRIL THIRD 1 23 



April SUjtrfc 

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him 
while he is near. Isa. 55:6. 

Think not that you will find the Lord when he has once gone, 
though you traverse the world. But while he is near, you may 
seek and find him. For many years, while still in my cloister, 
I experienced the meaning of such disappointment. I sought 
God with great toil and with severe mortification of the body, 
fasting, watching, singing and praying. In this way I shame- 
fully wasted my time and found not the Lord. No, God does 
not permit us to find him thus. 

To find him, go to the Creed and the Ten Commandments. 
They will tell you. Regulate your life by them. Be helped by 
the Lord's Prayer. Begin with yourself; then pray for the 
Church. Let it be your desire that God's name be everywhere 
sanctified and that your life conform to his will. For the study 
and practice of these precepts will leave you no opportunity to 
do evil. God's Word will soon teach you to sanctify his name, 
to extend his kingdom, to do your neighbor no injury in mind, 
body, or estate. Surely we ought supremely to thank God for 
the great blessings of his nearness to us. We have his presence 
in our homes. He is with us at our board, by our couch — any- 
where we desire him. He offers us all assistance and grants all 
we may ask. So gracious a guest should indeed receive our high 
esteem. 

There is too much slumbering everywhere in Germany. We 
cannot perceive how it is possible to preserve the gospel and fill 
the pulpits for ten years longer. No one for a moment thinks 
how God has signally, richly and graciously blessed us ; how we 
are in possession of actual paradise, if we only recognized the 
fact. Yet we shamefully, ungratefully and unreasonably reject 



124 APRIL FOURTH 



the kingdom ; as if it were not enough for us to overstep the ten 
commandments in our disobedience, but must even trample 
under foot the mercy God offers in the gospel. Then why should 
we be surprised if he send down wrath upon us? Jerusalem 
and in fact the entire Jewish nation sinned unceasingly against 
all God's commandments, and when he proclaimed grace and 
offered forgiveness of sins, they trampled upon his mercy. Should 
Christ not revenge himself when they shamed and mocked his 
precious blood? 

April Sfaurtlj 

Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look 
for the Saviour , the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil. 3 : 20. 

We who are baptized and believe in Christ do not base our 
works and our hope on the righteousness of this temporal life. 
Through faith in Christ, we have a righteousness that holds in 
heaven. It abides in Christ alone; ©therwise it would avail 
naught before God. Our whole concern is to be eternally in 
Christ; to have our earthly existence culminate in yonder life 
when Christ shall come and change this life into another, alto- 
gether new, pure, holy and like unto his own. Therefore we 
are no longer citizens on earth. The baptized Christian is born 
a citizen of heaven through baptism. We should be mindful 
of this fact and walk here as if native there. We are to con- 
sole ourselves with the fact that God thus accepts us and will 
transplant us there. Meanwhile we must await the coming 
again of the Saviour, who is to bring from heaven to us eternal 
righteousness, life, honor and glory. 

With the believers in Christ, who have their righteousness 
in him, there should follow in this life on earth the fruits of 
upright living in obedience to God. These fruits constitute the 
good works acceptable to God, which being works of faith and 



APRIL FIFTH 125 



wrought in Christ will be rewarded in the life to come. While 
we walk in the faith of his righteousness, God has patience with 
the poor, frail righteousness of this earthly life. He honors our 
human holiness by supporting and protecting it during the time 
we live on earth ; just as we honor our corrupt, filthy bodies, 
adorning them with beautiful, costly garments and golden orna- 
ments. Because God would confer eternal life upon man, he 
patiently endures the filthy righteousness of this life until the 
last day, and until the number is complete. When the time 
shall be fulfilled, the number completed, God will suddenly 
bring the world with its governments and conditions of life to 
an end ; he will utterly abolish earthly righteousness, destroying 
physical appetites and all else. Yet for the sake of Christians, 
to whom eternal life is appointed, all these must be perpetuated 
until the last saint is born and has attained life everlasting. 
For God regards not the world nor has need of it, except for 
the sake of his Christians. 

April 3FtftIj 

(They) did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink 
the same spiritual drink. I Cor. 10: 3, 4. 

Among us one element (bread) alone is not to be offered to 
the communicant; he who wants the Lord's Supper should re- 
ceive the whole of it. We have preached and practiced this 
long enough and cannot assume that there should be any one 
unable to understand it; yet if there be one so dense, or claim- 
ing to be so weak that he cannot grasp the true meaning of it, 
we will excuse him; it is just as well that he remain away. 
For any one to hear God's Word so long, to have himself 
coddled like a child, and after all to continue saying, I do not 
understand, is not a good sign. For it is impossible for you 
to hear so long and still be unenlightened; since then you re- 



126 APRIL SIXTH 



main blind it is better for you not to receive the Lord's Supper. 
If you cannot grasp the Word that is plain, clear and certain, 
you can not grasp the sacrament; for the sacrament would be 
nothing, if there were no Word. 

Moreover this Word has now resounded again and again 
throughout the world, so that even they who oppose it know 
it. These, however, are not weak but obdurate and hardened ; 
they set their heads against the doctrine which they hear us 
prove from the Scriptures with such clearness that they are 
unable to reply or establish the contrary. Therefore it is out 
of the question for us any longer to yield or to endure them, 
since they defy us and maintain as their right what they teach 
and practice. We wish to receive both elements in the Lord's 
Supper, just because they wish to prevent us from having them. 
The thought of causing offense no longer applies to them. The 
Roman bishops have forbidden both elements as contrary to 
God's ordinance and command. If now we wish to confess 
Christ we must receive both elements, so that the people may 
know that we are Christians and abide -by the Word of God. 
When we go to the Lord's Supper people can see who they 
are that have heard the gospel; they can observe whether we 
lead Christian lives. So this is a distinct mark whereby we 
are recognized, whereby we also confess the name of God and 
show that we are not ashamed of his Word. 

April g>txtfj 

Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 
i Cor. 5 : 6. 

Leaven is a common figure with the apostle, one he uses 
frequently, almost proverbially. Christ also gives us a Scrip- 
ture parable of the leaven. It is the nature of leaven that a 
small quantity mixed with a lump of dough will pervade and 



APRIL SIXTH 127 



fill the whole lump until its own acid nature has been imparted 
to it. This Paul makes a figure of spiritual things in doctrine 
and life. In the Epistle to the Galatians, he makes it more 
especially typify false doctrine. For the introduction of an 
error in an article of faith will soon work injury to the whole 
and result in the loss of Christ. Such innovation will pursue 
its course with destructive sweep until even the uncontaminated 
part becomes worthless ; the once pure mass is wholly corrupted. 

But in this text he has reference more particularly to an 
erroneous idea concerning life and conduct. Here it is like- 
wise true that, once the flesh be allowed any license, and liberty 
be abused, and that under the name of the gospel, there is in- 
troduced a leaven which will speedily corrupt faith and con- 
science, and continue its work until Christ and the gospel are 
lost. Such would have been the fate of the Corinthians had 
not Paul saved them from it by this epistle, admonishing and 
urging them to purge out the leaven of license ; for they had 
begun to practice great wantonness, , and had given rise to sects 
and factions which tended to subvert the one gospel and the 
one faith. 

Nor may we in our works and in our daily life tolerate the 
yielding to the wantonness of the flesh and at the same time 
boast the gospel of Christ, as did the Corinthians, who stirred 
up among themselves divisions and disorder, even to the extent 
of one marrying his stepmother. In such matters as these, 
Paul says, a little leaven leavens and ruins the whole lump — 
the entire Christian life. These two things are not consistent 
with each other : to hold to the Christian faith and to live after 
the wantonness of the flesh in sins and vices condemned by con- 
science. Paul elsewhere warns, "Be not deceived, neither forni- 
cators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers 
of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor drunkards, shall 
inherit the kingdom of God." 



28 APRIL SEVENTH 



April &ewttilj 

Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Take, 
drink ye all of it; this cup is the New Testament in my blood, 
ivhich is shed for you for the remission of sins. Matt. 26: 26 
— 28; Mark. 14: 22 — 24; Luke 22: 19, 20; 1 Cor. 11 : 23 — 25. 

These are the words which neither our opponents, nor Satan 
are able to deny; on them we must stand. Let them make 
whatever comments they please; we have the clear Word of 
God, saying, the bread is Christ's body given for us ; and the 
cup is his blood shed for us. This he bids us do in remembrance 
of him ; but the pope commands that it be not done. They say, 
we are only erring laymen, we do not understand, nor are we 
able to explain the words. But we reply, It is for us to explain 
just as much as it is for them; for we are commanded to be- 
lieve in Christ, to confess our faith, and to keep all the com- 
mandments of God, just as well as they are. How then are 
we to believe without knowing and understanding the Word? 
I must know the words if I am to believe; for how can I be- 
lieve without words? 

This is how you can stop their mouths and bring them to 
silence. My faith must be as good as yours, therefore I must 
have and must know the Word as well as you. These words 
are certainly clear enough; and there is no one so stupid that 
he cannot understand what is meant by, "Take, drink ye all 
of it; this cup is the New Testament in my blood." Unless 
they prove to us that drinking here signifies something different 
from what all the world understands by the term, we shall 
adhere to the interpretation that we are all to drink of the 
cup. Let them bring forward what they please, customs or 
councils, we reply, God is older and greater than all things. 

Thus you see how we are to understand the words of the 



APRIL EIGHTH 129 



institution of the Lord's Supper, and firmly hold to them. In 
them all the virtue is centered, we all must know them, under- 
stand them, and cling to them in faith. When you wish to go 
to the Lord's Supper listen to the words spoken and be assured 
that they contain the whole treasure on which you are to rely. 
They are really spoken to you. My body is given, my blood 
is shed, Christ declares. Why? For the remission of sins. 
This is what strikes you, that your sins may be forgiven. 



April Etgljtlj 



What glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye 
shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for 
it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. I Peter 
2: 20. 

When the individual accepts Christ and begins to profess 
his faith in words and life, invariably the world, that eternal 
enemy of Christ and faithfully obedient servant of the devil, 
will be dissatisfied. The world regards it contemptible, dis- 
graceful, to live any life but one pleasing to itself, to do and 
speak aught but as it desires. Its rage is excited toward the 
Christian and it proceeds to persecute, to torture, even to murder 
him when possible. We often hear the wiseacres and scoffers 
say that Christ could have enjoyed peace had he so desired. 
The same may be said of Christians; they could have peace 
and pleasure if they would but take advice and conform to the 
world. 

What are we to do? It is a fact that to maintain and obey 
the truth is to stir up wrath and hatred. Even the heathen 
assert as much. But the fault lies not with the advocate of 
truth but with its rejecters. Is the truth not to be preached 
at all? Must we be silent and permit all mankind to go direct 

Devotional Readings 9. 



I30 APRIL NINTH 



to hell? Who could or would heap upon himself the guilt of 
such negligence? The godly Christian, who looks for eternal 
life after the present one and who aims to help others to the 
same happy goal, assuredly must act the part he professes, must 
assert his belief and show the world how it travels the broad 
road to hell and eternal death. But to do so is to antagonize 
the world and incur the displeasure of the devil. 

Since there is no escaping the fact that he who would con- 
fess Christ and make the world better must in return for his 
service and benefactions heap upon himself the enmity of the 
devil and his adherents, we must remember that it is incumbent 
upon us to have patience when the world manifests its bitterest, 
most hateful enmity toward our doctrine and toward our very- 
lives ; when it reviles and slanders and persecutes us to the ut- 
most for our principles. Peter here admonishes and persuades 
Christians unto patience under these circumstances, and at the 
same time seeks to comfort them with tender and impressive 
words. If you would be a Christian, then be not so terribly 
alarmed and so extremely impatient at the torments of the 
world and the devil. 



April Ntntij 

We being many are one bread, and one body: for we are 
all partakers of that one bread. I Cor. io: 17. 

While we live on earth we must bear with one another, as 
Christ also bore with us, seeing that none of us are perfect. 
Christ has shown this to us not only by his own example and 
by his Word, but he has also pictured it to us in the form of 
the Sacrament of the Altar, namely, by means of the bread 
and the wine. We believe that the true body and blood of 
Christ is under the bread and wine. Here we see one thing 



APRIL TENTH 13: 



and believe another, which describes faith. For when we hear 
the Word and receive the Lord's Supper we have merely a 
word and an act, yet by it we embrace life and every treasure, 
even God himself. Likewise love is pictured in these signs and 
elements. First of all in the bread. As long as the grains of 
wheat are in a pile before they are ground, each is a body 
separate for itself, and is not mingled with the others ; but when 
they are ground they all become one body. The same thing 
takes place with the wine. As long as the berries are not 
crushed each retains its own form, but when they are crushed 
they all flow together and become one drink. You cannot say, 
this is the flour from this grain, or this is a drop from that 
berry; for each has entered the form of the other, and thus 
was formed one bread and one drink. 

We receive the Lord by the faith of the Word which the 
soul consumes and enjoys. In this way my neighbor receives 
me; I give him my goods, body, and life and all that I have, 
and let him consume and use it in his want. Likewise, I also 
need my neighbor; I too am poor and afflicted, and surfer him 
to help and serve me in turn. Thus we are woven one into 
another, helping one another even as Christ helps us. There- 
fore when you have received the Lord's Supper, you must be 
diligent to increase love, aid your neighbor in distress, and lend 
him a helping hand when he suffers affliction and requires 
assistance. When you fail to do this, you are not a Christian, 
or at best only a very weak one. 

April Sfcntij 

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and 
whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this 
salvation sent. Acts 13: 26. 

Paul refers to the gospel not simply as the word of peace, 
as Peter does, but gives it the greater and grander title, "the 



132 APRIL TENTH 



word of salvation;" in other words, a doctrine calculated to 
heal and save. No grander name could be found for the gospel ; 
for a message of salvation is an expression of God's grace, for- 
giveness of sins, abiding peace and life eternal. Moreover these 
blessings were not to be bestowed upon the Jews alone; they 
were to be equally shared with the Gentiles, who had no knowl- 
edge of God, of the law, or of divine worship. The Gentiles 
were thus to be made the equals of the Jews, leaving the latter 
without preference or special merit before God, and without 
advantage and lordship over the former in the world. 

Paul plainly tells the Jews that the law of Moses "did not 
secure them the favor of God in the past and would be equally 
profitless in the future; that through the gospel message, and 
only so, they and all Gentiles as well were to be delivered from 
sin, death and the power of the devil, and to become God's 
people with power over all. Yet he presents no other tangible 
token of the great boon he calls salvation and blessedness than 
his preaching alone. But one may say, The word I hear and 
Paul I see, a poor human being; but this salvation — grace, life 
and peace — I behold not. On the contrary, I daily see and 
experience sin, terror, adversity, suffering and death, until it 
seems as if in all humanity none are so utterly forsaken by God 
as the Christians, who hear his message. 

This is precisely the precious doctrine to be learned, if we 
are to be God's children and sensible of his kingdom within 
us, a doctrine beyond the knowledge and experience of the 
Jews with their law and the Gentiles with their wisdom drawn 
from reason. Our salvation stands in the word which Paul 
here declares of Christ, a word which, in name and reality, is 
a word of salvation and peace; for salvation and peace are the 
blessings which it offers and imparts. God has sent this word, 
Paul says. Its origin and conception is not with man. It is 
the Word of the God of heaven. 



APRIL ELEVENTH 1 33 



April iElettttttit 

Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the 
Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the 
Lord. 1 Cor. n : 27. 

Let me say in regard to the Lord's Supper that when we 
have received it we ought to give heed to love, and in this way 
assure ourselves that we have received the sacrament profitably, 
and at the same time furnish evidence to others; we should not 
always continue to come and still be unchanged. Therefore 
we must turn from our devotions and thoughts to our conduct 
toward our neighbor, and examine ourselves in this mirror with 
all seriousness. The sacrament is to act upon us so that we 
may be transformed and become different people. For God's 
word and work do not intend to be idle, but are bound to pro- 
duce great things, to wit, to set us free from sin, death and the 
devil, and every kind of fear, and make us servants even of 
the least among men on earth, and this without the slightest 
complaint on our part, rejoicing rather to find some one in need 
of our help, and fearing only lest after receiving so much we 
may not apply it at all. 

When the Lord's Supper fails to produce this result there is 
reason to fear it has wrought injury. Nevertheless, even if the 
result is not great, we are not to reject those who are imperfect 
and weak, but those that are indolent and insolent, who imagine 
that they have done enough when they have partaken of the 
sacrament. A change must take place in you, and there must 
be evidence of it, then you will be able to perceive through the 
symbol that God is with you, and your faith will grow sure 
and strong. For you can easily feel whether you have grown 
more joyous and bold than you were before. Formerly the 
world seemed too narrow for us when we heard of death and 



134 APRIL TWELFTH 



thought of sin. If you feel different it is not because of your 
own strength, for in the past you could not do it. Thus you 
can discover whether the Lord's Supper is producing any fruit 
in your own life. If you experience nothing, go to God and 
tell him of your shortcomings and troubles; we must all do 
the same thing as long as we live, for not one of us is perfect. 



April ©tuplftlj 

Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren 
that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Matt. 
28: IO. 

These are the first words they heard from Christ after his 
resurrection from the dead, by which he confirmed all the 
former utterances and loving deeds he showed them, namely, 
that his resurrection avails in our behalf who believe, so that he 
anticipates and calls Christians his brethren, who believe it, 
and yet they do not, like the apostles, witness his resurrection. 
The risen Christ does not wait until we ask or call on him to 
become his brethren. Can we here speak of merit, by which 
we deserve anything? What did the apostles merit? Peter 
denied his Lord three times; the other disciples fled from him; 
they tarried with him like a rabbit does with her young. He 
should have called them deserters, betters, reprobates, any- 
thing but brethren. Therefore this word is sent to them through 
the women out of pure grace and mercy, as the apostles at the 
time keenly experienced, and we experience also when we are 
mired in our sins, temptations and condemnation. 

These are words full of comfort that Christ receives des- 
perate villains, as you and I are, and calls us his brethren. Is 
Christ really our brother, then indeed what more do we need? 
Brothers according to the flesh enjoy the same possessions, have 



APRIL THIRTEENTH 1 35 



the same father, the one inheritance; so we enjoy with Christ 
the same possessions, have in common one Father and one in- 
heritance. He who has a part of this spiritual inheritance has 
it all. 

If I believe on Christ, I become partaker with him of all his 
possessions. I obtain eternal righteousness, eternal wisdom, 
eternal strength, and become a lord and reign over all. The 
stomach will no longer hunger, sins will not oppress, I will no 
more fear death, nor be terror-stricken by Satan, but will be 
like Christ the Lord himself. The title of being Christ's 
brethren is so high that the heart of man cannot understand it. 
The Holy Spirit must bestow this grace. 



April Qttprtmttl; 



He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. I 
Cor. 15: 4. 

Here we must remember the custom of the Hebrews, for 
according to the Jewish reckoning the day began in the evening 
and lasted until the evening of the next day, as the first chapter 
of Genesis says: "And there was evening and there was morn- 
ing, one day," "a second day," "a third day," and so forth. 
Thus the first and greatest Sabbath began on the evening of 
the day when Christ was crucified, that is to say, at the time 
of sunset on Friday. In addition to this the Jews had seven 
full days which they celebrated, and all of which they called 
sabbaths. On these days they ate only wafers and unleavened 
bread, for which reason they are called the days of unleavened 
bread. Christ rose before sunrise. 

How can we say then that he rose on the third day, since he 
lay in the grave only one day and two nights? According to 
the Jewish calculation it was only a day and one half; how 



136 APRIL FOURTEENTH 



shall we then persist in believing there were three days? To 
this we reply that he was in the state of death for at least a part 
of three days. For he died at about three o'clock on Friday and 
consequently was dead for about three hours on the first day. 
After that night he lay in the grave all day, which is the true 
Sabbath. On the third day, which we commemorate now, he 
rose from the dead and so remained in the state of death a part 
of this day, just as when we say that something occurred on 
Easter day, although it happens in the evening, only a portion 
of the day. In this sense Paul and the Evangelists say that he 
rose on the third day. 

For this period and no longer Christ was to lie in the grave, 
so that we might suppose that his body remained naturally un- 
corrupted and that decomposition had not yet set in. He came 
forth from the grave so soon that we might presume that cor- 
ruption had not yet taken place according to the course of nature ; 
for a corpse can lie no longer than three days before it begins 
to decompose. Therefore Christ was to rise on the third day, 
before he saw corruption. 



April 3faurimttlj 

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith 
unto him, . . . Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; 
for I am not yet ascended to my Father. John 20: 16, 17. 

There are two things concerning the Lord's resurrection that 
we ought to know and understand. First, the history which re- 
lates the events as they occurred, together with the different cir- 
cumstances under which he revealed himself alive in various 
manifestations; so that we might have a sure record and testi- 
mony of everything as a foundation and support of our faith, 
inasmuch as this article of faith on the resurrection is the chief 



APRIL FOURTEENTH 1 37 



one upon which our salvation is finally based, and without which 
all others would be useless and entirely fruitless. 

The second point, that is the more important and necessary, 
on account of which the narrative has been recorded and 
Dreached, is the power, benefit and comfort of the joyous resur- 
rection of the Lord. Concerning this Paul and all the apostles 
and the entire Scriptures teach and preach richly and gloriously ; 
but most gloriously of all did Christ the Lord himself preach, 
when he manifested himself first of all to the women. This is 
the first sermon our Lord delivered after his resurrection, and 
without doubt also the most comforting one. It was spoken 
first of all to his beloved Mary Magdalene, and through her 
also to his disciples after their deep woe, grief and sorrow caused 
by his departure and death, that he might comfort and gladden 
them by his resurrection. 

But her joy is no higher than the mere bodily pleasure of 
having her Lord alive again as she had him before; she clung 
only to the fact of his return and thought that he would again 
be with them, eat and drink with them, preach and do miracles 
as he had done before. He does not permit himself to be 
touched, however, because he wants her to stand still and listen 
and learn what she does not know, namely: I am not risen 
to walk and remain with you bodily and temporally, but that 
I may ascend to my Father. It is not here that I intend to 
dwell and abide; but I would have you believe that I go to 
the Father, where I will rule and reign with him eternally, and 
whither I will also bring you out of your death and sorrow. 
There you shall have me tangibly, and you shall rejoice forever 
in eternal communion with me and the Father. 



138 APRIL FIFTEENTH 



April JFtftrnttl} 

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, 
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled 
for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith 
unto them, Peace be unto you. John 20: 19. 

Jesus finds his disciples sitting in fear and terror both from 
without because of the Jews and from within because of their 
consciences. They were slow of heart to believe what they had 
heard from the women and from some of the disciples, that he 
had risen from the dead. While they were talking about it with 
sad hearts, Christ appears and hails them with his friendly 
greeting, "Peace be unto 3^ou," which means a wish for every- 
thing that is good. 

The peace of Christ is hidden from our eyes and senses and 
is different from that which the world seeks. It is not a visible 
or tangible peace, consisting of bodily feeling, but an inner and 
spiritual peace, consisting of faith, which grasps and holds to 
nothing save what it hears in our text, namely, the gracious 
words of Christ, which he speaks to all frightened and troubled 
souls. A Christian, therefore, is contented and satisfied with 
having Christ as his friend and in him a gracious God who de- 
sires his constant welfare, even though, materially speaking, he 
has no peace in the world, but constant strife and contention. 
At another place Jesus says, "These things have I spoken unto 
you, that ye might have peace. In the world ye have tribula- 
tion." 

The disciples were not troubled by any one, yet their hearts 
were all aflutter, and were neither at rest nor at peace. While 
they are thus in fear and terror, the Lord brings them peace, 
not by removing any danger, but by quieting their hearts. The 
wickedness of the Jews is neither removed nor changed ; they 



APRIL SIXTEENTH 139 



are as full of hatred and rage as before. Without there is no 
change whatever, but the disciples are changed within ; they have 
become courageous and bold, and the hatred of the Jews is now 
of little concern to them. This is the true peace which is able 
to calm the heart even in the midst of trouble. It is well called 
a peace "which passeth all understanding;" it is abiding and in- 
vincible as long as the heart clings to Christ; for thereby it is 
certain that it has a merciful God and the forgiveness of sins. 

April §>txt??tttlj 

Jesus saith unto her, . . . Go to my brethren, and say unto 
them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my 
God, and your God. John 20: 17. 

The apostles were crouching behind barred doors, discouraged 
and cowed, as sheep without a shepherd, and troubled in con- 
science. Peter had denied his Lord with an oath, and the others 
had all fled and proved themselves disloyal. That was, indeed, 
a fall so deep and terrible that they might well think they would 
never be forgiven for denying the Son of God, and so shamefully 
forsaking their dear Lord and faithful Saviour. How could 
it ever enter their hearts that Christ would send such an affec- 
tionate greeting and such a kind good morning to them, and 
would not only forgive everything, but also call them dear 
brethren ? 

Consider what these words contain and offer. Go, my dear 
sister, and tell the denying and disloyal disciples that they are 
called and shall be my dear brethren. Is not this placing us with 
Christ into the complete tenure and inheritance of heaven and 
of everything Christ has? Rich and blessed indeed must be the 
brethren and sisters who can boast of this Brother, not now hang- 
ing on the cross, nor lying in the grave under the power of 
death, but a mighty Lord over sin, death, hell and the devil. 



I4O APRIL SEVENTEENTH 

But who is he that has instituted this brotherhood? The 
only Son of God and almighty Lord of all creatures, so that on 
his own account he did not need to endure suffering and death. 
I have done all this, he tells us, for your sake as your dear 
Brother, who could not bear to see you eternally separated from 
God by the devil, sin and death, and miserably perish; hence I 
stepped into )'our place and took your misery upon myself, gave 
my body and life for you that you might be delivered; I have 
now risen again to proclaim and impart to you this victory and 
deliverance, and to receive you into my brotherhood, that you 
might possess and enjoy with me all that I have and hold. Thus 
you see, it is not enough for Christ that the historical fact has 
occurred, and that on his part everything is accomplished ; he in- 
fuses it into us and creates a brotherhood from it, so that it 
may become the common possession of us all. He has done this 
not for himself and his own sake, but as our brother and for 
our good alone. 



April ^twnUmt^ 

Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto 
them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 
24: 27. 

The Evangelist states that their heart burned within them 
while he opened to them the Scriptures, and the gospel following 
says that Christ opened their minds to understand the Scripture. 
Here is the point: Moses certainly writes concerning Christ, 
and Christ is found in the books of Moses ; but it is necessary not 
only to read, but also to understand what is said. Therefore the 
Bible is a book that must not only be read and preached, but it 
also requires the true interpreter, that is, the revelation of the 
Holy Spirit. Not a single article of faith has ever been preached 



APRIL EIGHTEENTH 141 



that was not more than once attacked and denied by heretics, 
though they read the same Scriptures that we have. 

This revelation, therefore, requires pupils of the right kind, 
who are willing to learn and to be instructed, like these pious 
and simple-minded disciples, not wise and puffed up minds and 
self-made masters who reach beyond the very heavens with their 
knowledge. This is a doctrine that makes our wisdom foolish- 
ness and blinds our reason, before it can be believed and under- 
stood ; for it is not born of man's reason, like other sciences and 
arts, which have sprung from reason and can be grasped by 
means of reason. All heresies from the beginning have had 
their origin here; both Jews and Gentiles, and the Turks at 
present, grow foolishly violent in regard to our doctrine, be- 
cause it does not agree with reason and human wisdom. Only 
pious, simple-minded people can grasp and understand it — they 
who say: "God hath said it, therefore I believe it." Christ him- 
self thanks the Father with a joyful heart that he hides these 
things from the wise and understanding and reveals them unto 
babes. 

Thus poor, ignorant women came to the sepulcher without 
considering that the tomb was covered with a heavy stone; yet 
these foolish persons are the first to whom Christ reveals his 
resurrection and calls to be his preachers and witnesses. So 
he gives these disciples a knowledge of the Scriptures which all 
the learned scribes did not possess, so that now they view Moses 
with different eyes, and are forced to confess : I have read and 
heard this before, but never understood it. 

April Etgljt^tttlj 

As they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the jnidst of them, 
and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Luke 24: 36. 

The disciples are gathered together in seclusion. They are 
afraid of the Jews and are in danger of their lives; they are 



142 APRIL EIGHTEENTH 

fearful and faint-hearted and afraid of sin and death. Had they 
been strong and courageous, they would not have thus crept into 
a corner; later, when the Holy Spirit came, strengthened and 
comforted them, they were made so courageous that they stepped 
forth and preached publicly without fear. This is written for 
us, that we might learn that the gospel of Christ's resurrection 
comforts only the faint-hearted. They are the poor, conscience- 
stricken ones, whose sins lie heavily upon them, who feel faint at 
heart, are loth to die and are well-nigh startled by the sound of 
a rustling leaf. To these contrite, poor, and needy souls the gos- 
pel offers comfort, to them it is a sweet savor. 

This is also learned from the nature of the gospel, for the 
gospel is a message and a testimony, which declares how the 
Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, that he might remove 
sin. death and all evil from all who believe in him. If I recog- 
nize him as such a Saviour, I have heard the gospel aright, and 
he has in truth revealed himself to me. If now the gospel teach- 
es naught but that Christ has overcome sin and death by his 
resurrection, then we must indeed confess that it can be of serv- 
ice to none save those who feel sin and death. They who do 
not feel their sin, and are not dismayed, nor see their infirmi- 
ties, profit not a whit by it, nor do they delight in it. Though 
they hear the gospel, it has no effect upon them, except that they 
learn the words, and speak of what they have heard. They do 
not treasure them in their hearts, and receive neither comfort 
nor joy from them. 

It were well, if the gospel could be preached only where 
faint-hearted and conscience-stricken ones are found. But this 
cannot be, and for this reason it bears so little fruit. The fault 
is not in the gospel, but in the hearers. They hear it, but they 
do not feel their own affliction and misery, nor have they ever 
tried to feel it. 

Hence none need marvel if the gospel does not everywhere 
bring forth fruit. 



APRIL NINETEENTH 1 43 



April NmefrFttth 

// any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any 
man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth : 
that God in all things may he glorified through Jesus Christ. 
I Pet. 4:11. 

It is necessary that both preachers and hearers take heed to 
doctrine and have clear, unmistakable evidence that what they 
embrace is really the true Word of God revealed from heaven ; 
the doctrine given to the holy and primitive fathers, prophets 
and apostles; the doctrine Christ himself confirmed and com- 
manded to be taught. We are not permitted to employ the 
teachings dictated by any man's pleasure or fancy. We are not 
allowed to adapt the Word to mere human knowledge and rea- 
son. We are not to trifle with the Scriptures, to juggle with 
the Word of God, as if it would admit of being explained to 
suit the people ; of being twisted, distended and patched to effect 
peace and agreement among men. There would then be no 
sure, permanent foundation whereon the conscience might rely. 

Still it is not enough that the office and commandment be 
God-appointed. We ministers should be conscious — and the 
people should be taught — that efficacy of office is not of 
human effort, but is God's power and work. That which the 
office was designed to accomplish is not effective by virtue of 
our speech or action, but by virtue of God's commandment and 
appointment. He it is who orders; and himself will effectively 
operate through that office which is obedient to his command. 
In baptism, the Lord's Supper and absolution we are not to be 
concerned about the person administering the sacraments or pro- 
nouncing absolution, — who he is, how righteous, how holy, 
how worthy. Worthiness or unworthiness of either administer- 
ing or receiving hand effects nothing ; all the virtue lies in God's 
command and ordinance. 



144 APRIL TWENTIETH 



The motive for all Christian effort is named in the words, 
"that in all things God may be glorified." No one may seek or 
ascribe to himself power and honor because of his office or gifts. 
Power and glory belongs only to God. God himself calls his 
Church, rules, sanctifies and preserves it through his Word and 
his Spirit. To this end he bestows on us his gifts. All is done 
purely of grace, wholly for the sake of his beloved Son, Christ 
the Lord. Therefore, in return for the favor and ineffable good- 
ness bestowed upon us regardless of our merits, we ought to 
thank and praise God, directing all our efforts to the recogni- 
tion and glory of his name. 

April Sumtttrtlj 

Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! 
should not the shepherds feed the flocksf Ezek. 34: 2. 

To be a shepherd is not to exercise great pomp and glory; 
but it is a service one is wont to render another, as a servant in 
a household, who does all in his power to please his master freely 
and without restraint, and is in all other respects faithful. Thus 
Christ did all in harmony with his office and his name. When 
he was here on earth he carefully tended his sheep and provided 
them with everything needful for body and soul, with good and 
honest teaching and deeds of mercy. Good shepherds are like 
the good Shepherd Christ, who tends the sheep, goes before 
them, cares for those who are sick; who does not flee when the 
wolves come, but "who giveth his lite for the sheep." 

It is not enough that we preach correctly, which the hireling 
can also do ; but we must watch over the sheep, that the wolves, 
the false teachers, may not break in, and we must contend for 
the sheep against the wolves with the Word of God, even to 
the sacrifice of our lives. Such are good shepherds, of whom 
few are found. They are the righteous apostles and preachers, 



APRIL TWENTY-FIRST 145 

who are but the mouthpieces of Christ, through whom Christ 
preaches. The hirelings do not care for the sheep, receive tempo- 
ral wages, riches and honor and feed themselves. They are 
good to a certain extent, and Christ also preaches through them, 
but they are not true to the sheep. This may be seen in our 
shepherds to-day who almost entirely subvert their office. In 
times past the princes gave the bishops and priests great treas- 
ures, besides land and people, so that pious bishops did not want 
to accept the office, they even fled from it; but that is entirely 
changed at present and there is a running and racing after the 
best bishoprics. The greatest rush is for the offices which afford 
the best livings. They seek their own, not the things of Christ. 
This is a lamentable and miserable state of things. Thus Paul 
also warns the elders at Ephesus: Take heed unto yourselves 
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made 
you overseers. I know, after my departing shall grievous wolves 
enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 

April aEtuatitj-ftrst 

When he (the Comforter) is come, he will reprove the world 
... 0/ righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me 
no more. John 16: 8 — 10. 

The world is reproved not only because it has sin, but also 
because it does not know what righteousness is, and how to be- 
come pious. The righteousness of which he speaks here does 
not consist in observing civil or imperial laws and in doing what 
reason teaches, but the righteousness which is valid before God, 
or which he regards as righteousness. He says, "Because I go 
to the Father, and ye see me no more." To the world this is 
strange and ridiculous language. "Because I go to the Father," 
embraces the whole work of our redemption and salvation, for 
which God's Son was sent from heaven, and which he performed 

Devotional Readings 10 



I46 APRIL TWENTY-SECOND 

for us and still performs until the end, namely, his passion, 
death and resurrection, and his whole reign in the Church. This 
going to the Father signifies nothing else than that he offers 
himself as a sacrifice by the shedding of his blood and by his 
death to pay for sin ; afterwards he triumphs in his resurrection 
and brings sin, death and hell into subjection to himself, and is 
seated at the right hand of the Father, where he reigns invisibly 
over all things in heaven and earth, and gathers and extends his 
Church by the preaching of the gospel ; as an external mediator 
and high priest he intercedes with the Father for those who 
believe, because they still have weaknesses and sins remaining in 
them, and gives the power and strength of the Holy Spirit to 
overcome sin, the devil and death. 

This is the righteousness of Christians before God, that Christ 
goes to the Father, that is, suffers and rises for us, and thereby 
reconciles us to the Father, so that for his sake we have for- 
giveness of sin, and grace. This is the righteousness of another, 
for which we have done nothing and have merited nothing, freely 
given and appropriated to us to be our righteousness, whereby 
we please God and are his dear children and heirs. This freely 
bestowed righteousness comes by faith alone. It cannot be ap- 
prehended otherwise than with the heart, which clings to the 
departure of Christ and firmly believes that for his sake it has 
forgiveness and redemption from sin and death. This righteous- 
ness is not an external thing, but a hidden treasure, not seen with 
eyes nor comprehended by our senses. 

April ufoitttig-Btfomb 

When he (the Comforter) is come, he will reprove the world 
... 0/ judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 
John 16: 8 — 11. 

The word "judgment" means the decision between two parties 
at variance to decide which is right or wrong. It embraces two 



APRIL TWENTY-SECOND 1 47 

elements, aid and punishment, that the innocent party be ac- 
quitted and helped to his rights; that the guilty be condemned 
and punished. The word, however, is generally used for the 
latter element, the legal sentence of condemnation and its conse- 
quence. In this sense Christ uses it here and he intends to in- 
dicate that when the Holy Spirit shall pursue the two themes 
of his preaching and shall reprove the world of sin and righteous- 
ness, it will not receive it, nor be willing to be reproved, nor be 
moved to allow the righteousness of Christ to be offered to it. 
It will set itself against this teaching and reproving of the Holy 
Spirit, and condemn and persecute it. Then arises the conflict, 
and one judgment runs contrary to the other. 

But Christ says that the Holy Spirit shall retain the superior 
judgment and shall prevail in his reproving of the world until 
the last day. In consequence of this Christians get into straits, 
the cross and persecution begin. Because the kingdom of Christ 
is not of this world, but spiritual and invisible, the power and 
might which the world has are directed against the Church by 
condemning, persecuting and torturing with sword and fire' and 
other means. The world is also incited by the bitter hatred of 
the devil against Christ, who seeks to blot out and exterminate 
the Church. Against this hatred of judgment Christ gives com- 
fort. The devil is already judged and the sentence of condem- 
nation has already been pronounced upon him; the only thing 
wanting is its execution, that the punishment be inflicted upon 
him in eternal fire. 

This judgment proceeds by power and might of the Lord 
Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father; it is publicly 
proclaimed by the office of preaching, that the prince of the 
world with all his adherents is already under final condemna- 
tion and shall accomplish nothing against Christ. He must let 
him remain the Lord, under whose feet he shall eternally lie 
and suffer his head to be trodden upon. Christ makes his ene- 



I48 APRIL TWENTY-THIRD 

mies his footstool. No one believes this except Christians, who 
take the Lord's Word for truth and know his power and king- 
dom. 

April Sfamttg-tljtrii 

/ will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure 
mercies of David. Isa. 55 : 3. 

The prophet has reference to the promise made to David in 
the seventh chapter of second Samuel. In the preceding verses 
of the chapter, Isaiah most tenderly entreats and invites the 
whole world to receive the promises of salvation, for thereby 
shall the poor, the wretched and the afflicted obtain the great 
treasures of joy and salvation. Immediately following the verse 
quoted, he speaks of the Messiah, the promised seed of David, 
as given to the Levites for a "witness," — a preacher sent by 
God — and for a "leader and commander to the people." The 
thought is of a king and ruler differing from Moses and his 
priests and exponents of the law; a ruler differing from every 
other lord and king, from David and all worldly rulers what- 
ever, subjecting everything to himself. Not that this leader 
should set up a new temporal government, or extend Jewish 
authority among the Gentiles, but that Jews and Gentiles should 
receive him and believe in him, and obtain the fulfilment of that 
promise he here terms a covenant of the sure mercies of David. 
This covenant God enters into and keeps, a divine, sure cove- 
nant; through Christ shall be given whatever blessings God's 
mercy shall bestow, with remission of sins, redemption from 
death, and life eternal. 

Now, if the Christ of this covenant is true man, and, as the 
promise to David is, of David's flesh and blood; and if he is 
to bring eternal mercy, he must likewise be God, such gift be- 
ing in the province and power of God alone. This being true, 
he cannot remain in death, although he may suffer death by 



APRIL TWENTY-FOURTH 1 49 

reason of his human nature ; he must of his own power rise from 
the dead. Only so can he raise others and give them everlasting 
life ; only so can he truly be called eternal King of grace, right- 
eousness and life, according to the sure promise of God. When- 
ever the Scriptures speak of Christ's eternal kingdom, and of 
everlasting grace, they point out this article of the resurrection 
of Christ. God has promised to give us Christ, him who was 
to sit at his right hand — that is, to have the omnipotent, divine 
power possible only to an eternal Lord and King — and at the 
same time to have his kingdom on earth. 



April Sanmtg-ftwrifj 

// ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things zuhich are 
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Col. 3:1. 

How is a dead man profited, how r ever much life may be 
preached to him, if that preaching does not make him alive? Of 
what use is it to preach righteousness to a sinner, if he remain 
in sin ? or to an erring, factious individual, if he forsake not his 
error and his darkness ? Even so, it is not only useless but detri- 
mental, even pernicious in effect, to listen to the glorious, com- 
forting and saving doctrine of the resurrection, if the heart has 
no experience of its truth ; if it means naught but a sound in the 
ears, a transitory word upon the tongue, with no more effect 
upon the hearer than if he had never heard. 

According to the text, this nobly wrought and precious res- 
urrection of Christ must essentially be, not an idle tale of fancy, 
futile as a dead hewn stone, or a painted paper image, but a 
powerful energy working in us a resurrection through faith — 
an experience which he calls being risen with Christ; in other 
words, it is dying unto sin, being snatched from the power of 
death and hell and having life and happiness in Christ. If ye, 



I50 APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH 

Paul says, have apprehended by faith the resurrection of Christ 
and have received its power and consolation, and so are risen 
with him, that resurrection will surely be manifest in you ; you 
will feel its power, will be conscious of its working within you. 
The doctrine will be something more than words; it will be 
truth and life. For those who do not thus apprehend the resur- 
rection, Christ is not yet risen, although his rising is none the 
less a fact; for there is not within them the power represented 
by the words "being risen with Christ," the power which ren- 
ders them truly dead and risen men. 

The apostle, then, in this text is not referring to the future 
resurrection of the body, but to the spiritual rising which entails 
the former. He regards as one fact the resurrection of the Lord 
Christ, who brought his body again from the grave and entered 
into life eternal, and the resurrection of ourselves, who, by 
virtue of his rising, shall likewise be raised: the soul, from a 
trivial and guilty life shall rise into a true, divine and happy ex- 
istence; from this sinful and mortal body shall rise out of the 
grave an immortal, glorious one. 



April ®twmig-ftfilj 

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. 
I John 5:1. 

Though John's language is plain and simple, yet in the ears 
of men generally it is unusual and unintelligible. What, ac- 
cording to the world's construction, is implied by the statement, 
"born of God?" To the world there is no birth but physical. 
Hence such doctrine as our text sets forth will ever be strange, 
unintelligible, incomprehensible, to all but Christians. But these 
speak with new tongues, as Christ says they shall, for they are 
taught and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. 



APRIL TWENTY-FIFTH 151 

When the Scriptures speak of being born of God, it is not in 
a human sense ; the reference is not to the conditions of our tem- 
poral lives, but to those exalted ones of a future existence. To 
say we must be born of God is equivalent to saying that if a man 
is to be redeemed from sin and eternal death, to enter into the 
kingdom of God and into happiness, his physical birth will not 
suffice; all that nature, reason, free will and human endeavor 
may afford is inadequate. Physical, indeed, answers for every- 
thing in the way of temporal possession and achievement, every 
desirable and exalted thing cf earth ; but all such possession and 
achievement serves only the physical existence ; it is swept away 
by death, to which event it is ever subject. 

Hence there becomes necessary a new and different birth. The 
demand is for a divine birth, a birth in which parentage is 
wholly of God ; a birth signifying the operation of God's divine 
power in man, a power achieving something beyond the attain- 
ment of his natural capacities and effecting in him new under- 
standing and a new heart. The process is this : when the in- 
dividual hears the gospel message of Christ — a message revealed 
and proclaimed, not by the wisdom and will of man, but through 
the Holy Spirit — and sincerely believes it, he is justly recog- 
nized as conceived and born of God. Through that faith, for the 
sake of his Son, God accepts us as his children, pleasing to him 
and heirs of eternal life; and the Holy Spirit will be sent into 
our hearts. 

This doctrine condemns those arrogant teachers who presump- 
tuously expect to be justified before God by their own merits 
and works. The Scriptures clearly teach the very reverse, It 
is sheer human effort, and not being born of God. 



52 APRIL TWENTY-SIXTH 



April Sfonmig-aixtlj 

/ am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known 
of mine. John 10: 14. 

Christ here gives us the criterion by which we are to distin- 
guish the true Church, or people of God, from that which has 
the name and reputation, but in truth is not the Church. The 
Church neither is, nor ought to be a society which must be 
organized with an external government, like the Jewish people 
under the law of Moses. It is not governed and preserved by 
outward human power; much less is it bound to a succession 
or government of bishops, as the papacy claims. It is a spiritual 
assembly, which hears the shepherd and believes in him, and is 
governed by him through the Holy Spirit. It is outwardly rec- 
ognized by this alone, that it has his Word, the preaching of the 
gospel, and his sacraments. Inwardly it is known to him alone, 
as in turn it also knows him by faith and clings to him when 
it hears his Word, regardless of the fact that it may neither 
maintain, nor even know anything of that outward Jewish or 
papistical government, and may be scattered here and there in 
the world without any organized external government, as it was 
in the time of Christ and the apostles, who, apart from and in 
opposition to the regular power of the whole priesthood, believed 
in Christ and confessed him. 

If you really wish to know what a Christian is you must not 
look to the law of Moses, the government of the pope, nor the 
life and sanctity of any man, however holy. A Christian is not 
one who leads a strict, severe, hermit life ; nothing that is in us 
or can be done by us, makes a Christian. This alone, that one 
knows this Man, regards him and trusts him as he wishes to be 
considered, namely, the good Shepherd, who lays down his life 
for the sheep and knows them. This knowledge is nothing else 



APRIL TWENTY-SEVENTH 153 

than faith, which arises from the ministry of the Word, which 
consists not of our own thoughts, nor does it come from men, 
but it was brought from heaven and was revealed by Christ 
himself. In this way and in no other does a man become a 
Christian. The Word and our faith must always come to- 
gether. Here we have this comfort, that if any one knows Christ 
in this way, he is already known by him and certainly is one 
of his. 



April Qtotfntg-stfWtttlj 

(He) upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of 
heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after 
he was risen. Mark 16: 14. 

Christ upbraids the disciples with their unbelief and hard- 
ness of heart. He does not reject them, nor deal too severely 
with them, but reproves them. It is not an insignificant matter 
that the Lord rebuked his disciples; for unbelief is the greatest 
sin that can be named. Christ tells them the cause of their 
unbelief when he says that their hearts are hardened, still he 
deals mildly and gently with them. This is told us for our 
comfort, lest we despair, when, lacking in faith, we doubt, 
stumble and fall. It is to help us to rise again, to strengthen 
our faith and lift up our hearts to God, that we may grasp and 
hold fast the confidence of God, who does not deal severely with 
us, but can indeed bear with us and overlook much. If we 
believe him to be a merciful God, he will be found merciful 
and thus shows himself to us; but a bad conscience and an un- 
believing heart have no such trust in God, but flee from him. 
So should we also deal with our neighbor. If we see him fall 
from the faith, or err and sin, we should not strengthen him 
in his wickedness, nor justify his cause, but admonish him and 



154 APRIL TWENTY-EIGHTH 

in meekness reprove his faults, yet not hold enmity, nor turn 
our love from him. 

But let no one think that the apostles were altogether unbe- 
lieving; they believed what was written in the law and the 
prophets. There was a faith there, but they did not yet believe 
all things. Faith is a thing that always grows. Therefore the 
Lord shows wherein they lacked in faith; it was that they did 
not believe the resurrection of Christ from the dead. I hold 
that they believed that they had a gracious God, but this was 
not enough; they must believe also the resurrection of Christ. 
Thus the Lord upbraided them with their unbelief and said 
that in spite of all they had seen, they were not believing, they 
still lacked a certain article of faith, that on the resurrection. 
We should therefore expose and reprove what is wrong, but 
exercise truth and love toward everybody. We see that even 
the apostles were lacking in the chief things, yet they were 
corner stones, the foundation and the very best part of Chris- 
tendom. 



April ©utettiy-rtgljtlj 



Many are called, but jew are chosen. Matt. 22: 14. 

Note what took place in Jerusalem, when the gospel was first 
heard. It is said, there were in the city at the feast of the 
Passover eleven hundred thousand men. How many were con- 
verted? When Peter stood up and preached, they made a 
mockery of it and considered the apostles drunken fools. After 
the apostles had preached the gospel a long time, they gathered 
together three thousand men and women. But what were they 
among so many? No one could discern that the gosped had 
accomplished anything. No change was seen, and scarcely any 
one knew that there were Christians there. Hence the gospel 
must not be measured by the multitude that hear, but by the 



APRIL TWENTY-NINTH 155 

small company that receive it. They appear as nothing, they 
are despised and persecuted, and yet God secretly works in them. 

There is another thing that hinders the free movement of the 
gospel, namely, the infirmities of the believers. Thus Peter was 
filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, yet he stumbled and fell — 
he and all that were with him — when he walked not according 
to the gospel, so that Paul had to reprove him openly. Mark 
had journeyed with Paul, but afterward fell away and withdrew 
from him. Again, Paul and Barnabas strove together, and there 
arose a sharp contention between them. And before this, we 
read in the Gospels how often the apostles erred in weigthy 
matters, though they were the best of Christians. 

These infirmities of Christians darken the gospel most of all, 
so that men who deem themselves wise and learned stumble and 
are offended in them. Few there are who can well reconcile 
these things so as to take no offense. It was thus even with the 
disciples. At first when Christ wrought great and excellent 
works, and gained great honors, they remained steadfast. The 
common people clung to him, because they saw that with great 
power he wrought such excellent works, and walked so as to be 
irreproachable. But when his sufferings began, they all turned 
away and forsook him. Why was this ? Because they considered 
him not the strong, but a weak Christ. Therefore to bear with 
the weak Christ is the highest wisdom on earth, which is known 
to very few men. 

April 3ttmtt£~tttttilj 

Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. I John 
5:4. 

He who is born of God overcomes the world, John declares. 
Verily, this is a significant and forcible assertion which the Holy 
Spirit makes. It represents a tremendous power, a great work. 



156 APRIL TWENTY-NINTH 

The child of God must attempt and accomplish great things. 
The birth effected through the Word and faith makes men true 
sovereigns, above all earthly rulers. It gives them power even 
to overcome the world, something impossible to any Roman or 
Turkish potentate. They effect not their victory by physical 
force or temporal power, but by the spiritual birth through faith. 

In order to understand the nature of the spiritual victory and 
how it is effected, we must know what John means by the term 
''world." The reference is not to dominion over territory, to 
property, or money. He implies the existence of two kingdoms. 
By the heavenly kingdom we must understand not only spiritual 
life and godly people, but the Lord and Regent of that kingdom 
— Christ with his angels, and his saints, both living and dead. 
The kingdom of the world represents not only the earthly life 
with its worldly interests, but particularly its lord and regent — 
the devil and his angels, all unchristian, godless, wicked people 
on earth. So John means by "world" the devil and his whole 
earthly dominion. 

The workings of these two kingdoms are plainly evident, 
though the leaders are not visible to mortal eyes. Christ rules 
effectually in his own power through the Word and the Holy 
Spirit in the hearts of believers, through the angels who guard 
his followers, and through his people themselves who exercise 
authority over one another in loving service, each teaching, com- 
forting and admonishing a noble band of godly, obedient, chaste, 
benevolent souls. The nature of the devil's kingdom is easily 
apparent. This kingdom is simply a huge booth filled with 
faithless, shameless, wicked individuals, impelled by their god 
to every sort of disobedience and contempt of God and his 
Word; to false doctrine, the practice of wantonness, vice, and 
wickedness. 

These two kingdoms are opposed. Christians are brought 
into the conflict to hold the field against God's enemies, whose 



APRIL THIRTIETH I 57 



rule is one of falsehood and murder; they must contend with 
the enemy's servants, factions, spirits, and wicked individuals, 
in an effort to restrain evil and promote good. Christians must 
know how to meet and successfully resist the enemy, how to 
carry the field unto victory and hold it. 



April QJtjtritrtlj 



When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also 
appear with him in glory. Col. 3 : 4. 

Here is comfort for Christians in this earthly life, where 
their resurrection seems untrue to the world and to their own 
perceptions, though they receive the doctrine of Christ and 
apprehend him by faith ; where they must contend with sin and 
infirmities and besides are subject to much affliction and ad- 
versity; and where consequently they are extremely sensible of 
death and terror when they should experience joy and life. In 
this verse Paul comforts them, showing where to seek and surely 
apprehend their life. Be of good cheer, he would say, for ye are 
dead to the worldly life. This life ye must renounce, but in so 
doing ye make a precious exchange. Dying unto the world is a 
blessed experience, for which ye will obtain a life far more 
glorious. Ye are now through Christ's death redeemed from sin 
and from death eternal and are made imperishable. Upon you 
is conferred everlasting glory. But this risen life ye cannot yet 
perceive in yourselves ; ye have it in Christ through faith. 

Christ is spoken of as "our life." This life is certain, though 
still unrevealed to you, insured to you be3 T ond the power of any 
one to deprive you of it. By faith in Christ's life, are ye to be 
preserved and to obtain victory over the terrors and torments 
of sin, death and the devil, until that life shall be revealed in 
you and made manifest to men. In Christ ye surely possess 



158 MAY FIRST 



eternal life. Nothing is lacking to a perfect realization except 
that the veil whereby it is hidden as long as we are in mortal 
flesh and blood is yet to be removed. Then will eternal life 
be revealed. Then all worldly, terrestrial things, all sin and 
death, will be abolished. In every Christian shall be manifest 
only glory. Christians, believing in Christ and knowing him 
risen, should comfort themselves with the expectation of living 
with him in eternal glory. 

Saints must, therefore, by a vigorous and unceasing warfare 
subdue their sinful lusts if they would not lose God's grace and 
their faith. To retain the Spirit and the incipient divine life, 
the Christian must contend with himself. Positive mortifica- 
tion is necessary. And this is the way to mortify sin: it must 
be perceived with serious displeasure and repented of; and 
through faith Christ's forgiveness must be sought and found. 



flag STtrat 

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto 
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Gal. 3 : 24. 

There are two divine proclamations which came from heaven. 
One is, "Thou shalt not kill, commit adultery, steal" and the 
like, and adds the threat that all who transgress these command- 
ments shall die. Though they may compel a man outwardly to 
appear godly before men, inwardly the heart is left at enmity 
with the law. The other proclamation is that of the gospel. 
It tells us how we may meet the demands of the law. It does 
not drive nor threaten, but kindly invites us, Come, I will show 
you where you may find what you need to make you godly. 
Here is the Lord Jesus ; he will give it you. 

The two proclamations are as opposite to one another as 
taking and giving, and this distinction must ever be observed. 



MAY SECOND 1 59 



With these two God has ever ruled the world, and still rules 
it. The law must be declared to coarse and rude persons, who 
are not influenced by the gospel, until they are driven to ac- 
knowledge their imperfections and are humbled. When this 
has been accomplished, the gospel is to be applied. There are 
other proclamations besides these two, which have been invented 
to frighten men's consciences, but they are not from heaven and 
are mere human prattle. The proclamations of law and gospel 
are not of men, but of Christ, who sent them forth and put 
them into the heart of the apostles and their successors so that 
they understood them, and then into their mouths so that they 
spake and declared them. 

If you believe that Christ died to save you from all evil, and 
you hold fast to that Word, you will find it so certain and sure 
that no creature can overthrow it. It is the power of God, and 
can and will save all who believe it. You will find refuge in 
the Word and attain everlasting, peace, joy and life. You will 
be a participant in all the power that is in the Word, which is 
so deeply hidden that none but they who believe realize that 
it is so effective and that it accomplishes such great things. 



ilag §>?ttmb 

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for 
the sheep. John 10: 11. 

"The good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep." In 
this one virtue the Lord comprehends and exemplifies all others 
in the beautiful parable of the sheep. The sheep has this trait 
above all other animals, that it soon, recognizes the shepherd's 
voice and will follow no one but him. Though it cannot help 
and keep and heal itself, nor guard against the wolf, yet it 
always knows enough to keep close to the shepherd and look to 



l6o MAY THIRD 



him for help. Christ uses this trait of the animal as an illustra- 
tion in explaining that he is the good Shepherd. In this manner 
he shows plainly what his kingdom is and in what it consists. It 
is to protect the sheep, that is, poor, needy, wretched men who 
realize that there is no other help or counsel for them. The 
kingdom of Christ is to be concerned about the weak, the sick, 
the broken, who need to be helped. This is a comforting 
declaration. 

"A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall 
he not quench." The bruised reeds are the poor, tender con- 
sciences, which are easily distracted. But God deals gently with 
them. The smoking flax (dimly burning wick) he does not 
wholly quench, but lights it and trims it again and again. When 
a Christian is not only weak and infirm, but when he falls into 
such great temptations as to deny the gospel, as Peter when he 
denied Christ, even then you are not to cast him away, as though 
he no longer belonged to this kingdom. You must not rob Christ 
of this characteristic, that in his kingdom abounding grace and 
mercy alone prevail, and that his kingdom is wholly one of 
consolation, and that he is a comforting, friendly shepherd, who 
tenderly invites, and would induce all men to come unto him. 
All this is effected through the gospel alone, by means of which 
we are to strengthen the weak and heal the sick. It will give 
full consolation to all, so that no one, no matter how great a 
sinner he has been, need despair. 

Jflag Stfjtrfc 

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his 
ivisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same 
poor man. Eccl. 9: 15. 

Wherever we turn our eyes we see, in all conditions of life, 
a flood of terrible examples of ingratitude for the precious 



MAY THIRD l6l 



gospel. We see how kings, princes and lords quarrel and fight, 
envy and hate one another, oppressing their own people and 
destroying their own countries; they tax themselves with not 
so much as a single Christian thought about ameliorating the 
wretchedness of Germany. The noblemen rake and rend, rob- 
bing whom they can, prince or otherwise, and especially the poor 
Church. Townsmen and farmers are extremely avaricious, ex- 
tortionate and treacherous; they fearlessly perpetrate every sort 
of insolence and wickedness, and without shame and punishment. 
The earth cries to heaven, unable longer to tolerate its op- 
pression. 

But why multiply words? It is in vain so far as the world 
is concerned ; no admonition will avail. The world remains the 
devil's own. Notwithstanding the world's refusal to be influ- 
enced by the recognition of God's goodness, and in spite of the 
fact that we are obliged daily to see, hear and suffer the world's 
increasing ungratefulness the longer it stands, we must not allow 
ourselves to be led into error; for we will be unable to change 
it. We must preach against the evil of ingratitude wherever 
possible, severely censuring it, and faithfully admonish all men 
to guard against it. Although compelled to live among the 
ungrateful, we are not for that reason to fall into error, nor to 
cease from doing good. 

But if your good works are wrought with the object of se- 
curing the thanks and applause of the world, your reward will 
justly be that of him who crushes with his teeth the hollow nut 
only to defile his mouth. If, when you meet with ingratitude, 
you angrily wish to pull down mountains, and resolve to give 
up doing good, you are no longer a Christian. You injure your- 
self and accomplish nothing. Let the God-fearing Christians 
give evidence of their willingness to hear the Word of God. Let 
them show by their lives a consciousness of the great blessing 
conferred by those from whom they received the gospel. Let 



Devotional Readings 11. 



62 MAY FOURTH 



their hearts and lips ever be ready with the happy declaration : 
"God be praised." Such manifestation of gratitude assuredly 
must result when we comprehend what God has given us. 

HUag Jfaurtf? 

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge 
of God! Rom. n : 33. 

Sublime are the thoughts and counsel of God, transcending 
by far the mind and comprehension of man, yea, of all creatures, 
when he so richly pours forth his goodness, and out of pure 
grace and mercy elects, as beneficiaries of that goodness, the poor, 
and wretched, and unworthy, who are concluded under sin — 
that is, those who acknowledge themselves guilty before God 
and deserving of everlasting wrath and perdition ; when he does 
all this that they might know him in his real divine essence, and 
the sentiment of his heart — that through his Son he will give 
all who believe everlasting life. And, again, that they might 
know how he will reject those who, in pride and security, boast 
of their own gifts, that they are called the people of God in 
preference to all other nations ; who boast that they have special 
promises ; who think that God will acknowledge no nation on 
earth but themselves as his people and his Church. He will 
reject them on account of their unbelief, in which they are fet- 
tered by the pride and imagination of their own wisdom and 
holiness. 

This is that rich, inexpressible, divine wisdom and knowledge 
which they possess who believe in Christ, and by which they are 
enabled to look into the depths and see what the purposes and 
thoughts of the divine heart are. True, in their weakness they 
cannot fully reach it ; they can only apprehend it in the revealed 
Word by faith, as in a glass or image. It cannot be apprehended 
or comprehended otherwise. 



MAY FIFTH 1 63 



Though the world will not do it, we will firmly believe that 
God is a true God and Lord, wise, just, gracious, whose riches 
and depth are ineffable. We will glorify him with our whole 
heart, as he ought justly to be praised and glorified by every 
creature, for the wonderful government of his Church, through 
his Word and revelation. He is to be glorified because he mani- 
fests such unutterable goodness to all who are in sin and under 
God's wrath that he translates them, though they are unworthy, 
from the power of death and hell into the kingdom of eternal 
grace and life, if they will only seek grace and believe on Christ, 
his Son. 



mag Jtfth 



How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past find- 
ing out! Rom. 11 : 33. 

These words show Christians that these sublime and divine 
mysteries — God's actual divine essence and his will, adminis- 
tration and works — are absolutely beyond all human thought, 
human understanding or wisdom ; that they are and ever will be 
incomprehensible, inscrutable, and altogether hidden to human 
reason. When reason presumptuously undertakes to solve, to 
teach and explain these matters, the result is worthless, yea, utter 
darkness and deception. If anything is to be ascertained, it 
must be through revelation alone; that is, the Word of God, 
which was sent from heaven. 

We do not apply these words of Paul to the question of 
divine predestination — who will be saved and who will not. 
For into these things God would not have us curiously inquire. 
He has not given us any special revelation in regard to them, but 
refers all men here to the words of the gospel. By them they 
are to be guided. He would have them hear and learn the 
gospel, and believing in it they shall be saved. Therein have 



164 MAY SIXTH 



all the saints found comfort and assurance in regard to their 
election to eternal life; not in any special revelation in regard 
to their predestination, but in faith in Christ. 

Paul speaks here of the marvelous ruling of God in the 
Church, according to which they who have the name and honor 
of being the people of God — the people of Israel — are re- 
jected on account of their unbelief. On the other hand, those 
who formerly were not God's people, but were unbelieving, are 
now become the true Church in the sight of God and are saved, 
since they have received the gospel and believe in Christ. Con- 
sequently it was on account of their own unbelief that the former 
were rejected. Such are God's unsearchable judgments and 
ways past finding out. By "judgments" is meant that which is 
right or wrong, what pleases and what does not please him. 
By "his ways" is meant that which he will manifest unto men 
and how he will deal with them. These things men cannot and 
would not search out by their own intellect, and therefore should 
never oppose their judgments or speculations to God. It is not 
for them to say what is right or wrong, whether an act or ruling 
is divine. 

mag &txtl? 

This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 
1 John 5 : 4. 

It is, indeed, saying very much for the Christian faith to at- 
tribute to it such power over the devil and the world — a power 
transcending all human ability. It requires an agency greater 
and higher than human strength to triumph over the devil, 
especially in the perplexing conflicts of conscience, when he vexes 
and tortures the heart with terror of God's wrath in the attempt 
to drive us to despair. At such times all our works must im- 
mediately sink out of sight, leaving no help or victory except the 



MAY SEVENTH 1 65 



faith that clings to the word of Christ the Lord, believing that, 
for the sake of his beloved Son, God will be merciful and will 
not condemn us for our sins and unworthiness, if we believe in 
him. Such faith as this stands fast and gains the victory ; neither 
the devil, nor the gates of hell can prevail against it. 

The same is true in all temptations. Before we can resist 
and overcome, we must have faith to believe that through Christ 
we have remission of sins and the favor of God ; that God gives 
us help and strength to enable us to stand in the conflict and 
successfully resist the devil, the world, the flesh, and death ; 
that we obtain the victory by the divine power of the Holy 
Spirit, lacking whose help we all would be far too weak to win. 
Without faith, we are under the power of the devil and sin, 
being subject to them by natural birth. We can be liberated 
in no other way than through faith in Christ. 

The faith which believes Jesus is the Son of God is the true, 
triumphant sort. It is an invincible power wrought in the 
hearts of Christians by the Holy Spirit. It is a sure knowledge, 
that does not gaze and vacillate hither and thither according to 
its own thoughts. It apprehends God in Christ the Son sent 
from heaven, through whom God reveals his will and his love 
•and transfers us from sin to grace, from death to a new, eternal 
life; a refuge and trust that relies, not upon its own merit and 
worthiness, but upon Christ the Son of God, and in his might 
and power battles against the world and the devil. It is a living, 
active power, ever followed by victories and other appropriate 
fruits. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and 
cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no vari- 
ableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17. 

We shall designate the "good gifts" the blessings we enjoy 
here in this life ; the "perfect gifts" those awaiting us in the life 



66 MAY SEVENTH 



to come. In the words "good gifts" and "perfect gifts," the 
apostle comprehends all our blessings, those we have already 
received in the present life and those to be ours in the life to 
come. I will not now speak particularly of earthly, transient, 
and changeable blessings, such as temporal goods, honor, a 
healthy body, and others. There are many individuals who 
would give thousands of dollars to have the sight of both eyes. 
So much do they prize the blessing of sight, they would willingly 
suffer a year's illness or endure other great inconveniences to 
obtain it. 

But we shall speak now particularly of the blessings we have 
in Christ's resurrection, a subject appropriate to this Paschal 
season. God has begun the work of edifying us, of building us 
up, and will constitute us his own children, his heirs. The great, 
glorious gifts of the resurrection are these: the gospel, holy 
Baptism, the power of the Holy Spirit, and comfort in all ad- 
versity. What is a slight injury or the loss of some temporal 
blessing in comparison with these? What reason has any man 
to murmur and to rage when such divine blessings are his, even 
here in this life, blessings which none can take away or abridge ? 
If you are called on to renounce money, possessions, honor, and 
men's favor, remember you have a treasure more precious than 
all the honors and all the possessions of the world. When you 
see one living in great splendor, in pleasure and presumption, 
following his own inclinations, think: I have divine grace en- 
abling me to know God's will and the work he would have me 
do, and all in heaven and earth is mine. 

But these do not represent the consummation of resurrection 
blessings. We must yet await the real, the perfect gifts. God 
has only commenced to work in us ; he will not leave us in this 
state. If we continue in faith, God will bring us to the real, 
the eternal blessings, called "perfect gifts," the possession of 
which excludes error, stumbling, anger, and any sin whatever. 



MAY EIGHTH 1 67 



Look to this future life, when assailed by the world and enticed 
to anger or evil lust. 



Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we 
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:18. 

The best thing Christ has sent us from on high is sonship. 
He brought us forth, made us his children, or heirs. We are 
truly called children born of God. But how are we born? 
Through "the word of truth," or the true Word. By this 
statement James makes a far-reaching thrust at all factions and 
sects. They also have a word and boast much of their doctrine, 
but theirs is not the Word of truth whereby men are made chil- 
dren of God. But we have a Word whereby, as we are assured, 
God makes us his beloved children and justifies us, if we believe 
in that Word. He justifies us not through works or laws. The 
Christian must derive his sonship from his birth. The disciples 
of Moses, and all work-mongers, would effect it by command- 
ments, extorting a work here and a work there, effecting 
nothing. 

The children of God, John tells us, are they who believe on 
the name of Christ; who sincerely cling to the Word. They 
are children who cleave to the message that through Christ God 
forgives their sins and receives them into his favor ; who adhere 
to this promise in all temptations, afflictions, and trouble. The 
Word here on earth is the jewel which secures sonship. Since 
God has so greatly blessed you as to make you his own begotten 
children, shall he not also give you every other good? 

Whence do we derive sonship ? Not from your own will, not 
from your own powers or efforts. Were it so, I and other 
monks surely should have obtained it, independently of the 



1 68 MAY NINTH 



Word; it would have been ours through the numerous works 
we performed in our monastic life. It is secured, says James, 
"of his will." It never entered into the thought of man that 
we should in this way be made children of God. The idea did 
not grow in our gardens; it did not spring up in our wells. It 
came down from above, "from the Father of lights," by Word 
and Spirit revealed to us and given into our hearts through the 
agency of the apostles and their successors, by whom the Word 
has been transmitted to us. Hence we did not secure it by our 
efforts or merits. Of his fatherly will and good pleasure was 
it conferred upon us; of pure grace and mercy he gave it. 



Muxi Httttlj 



Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful 
disputations. Rom. 14: 1. 

Some are found who know the gospel, but are offended at 
their own manner of life. They have a desire to walk in godli- 
ness, but they feel that they make no progress. They begin to 
despair and think that with them all is lost because they do not 
feel the strength they ought to have. They also earnestly desire 
Christ to be strong in them and manifest himself in mighty 
deeds. But in this God designs to humble us, that we may see 
and feel what feeble creatures we are, what wretched, lost, and 
condemned men, if Christ had not come and helped us. 

But thereby we have no furlough to continue for all time in 
weakness, for we do not preach that any should be weak, but 
that we should know the weakness of Christians and bear with 
it. Christ did not hang upon the cross that he might appear as 
a murderer and evildoer, but that we might learn how deeply 
strength lies hidden under weakness, and might learn to know 
God's strength in weakness. Thus our weakness is not to be 
praised, as though we should abide in it, but rather must we 



MAY TENTH 1 69 



learn not to think that those who are weak are not Christians, 
nor yet despair when we feel our own weakness. Therefore it 
behooves us to know our own weaknesses and ever to seek to 
wax stronger, for Christ must not suffer always, nor remain in 
the grave, but must come forth again and live. 

Hence, let no one say that to remain in ignorance is the true 
course and condition. It is only a beginning, out of which we 
must grow day by day, giving heed only that we turn not away 
and despair when we are weak, as though all were lost. Rather 
must we continue to exercise ourselves till we wax stronger and 
stronger, and endure and bear the weakness until God helps and 
takes it away. Hence, even though you see your neighbor so 
weak that he stumbles, think not that he is be5 T ond hope. God 
will not have one judge another and be pleased with himself, 
in as much as we are all sinners, but that one bear the infirmity 
of the other. Christ also pleased not himself, hence we are to 
do as he did. 



flag ufentij 



Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there 
is no power, but of God: the powers that be are ordained of 
God. Whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of 
God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 
Rom. 13 : 1,2. 

We must understand that we have two kinds of authority: 
the secular that punishes with the sword, and the spiritual that 
exercises its office with the Word and by means of preaching. 
The secular power is ordained of God, as Paul clearly and 
beautifully declares to the Romans. Since there are few who 
heed the gospel, and most people remain rogues and knaves, they 
use the gospel for their own licentious liberty and wantonness ; 
hence it is necessary to have a civil government, which we would 



I70 MAY TENTH 



not need if all men were Christian and evangelical. God has 
ordained and designed it, in order that the godly may live in 
peace; he has established the secular sword to the end that the 
public peace may be preserved, the wicked punished, and the just 
protected. On this account we must pay to the government 
rent and taxes and revenue by which it may be supported and 
administer its office. 

In the gospel we find an entirely different, a spiritual govern- 
ment, one that exists alone in the Word, by which sinners are 
convicted and the gospel proclaimed to the terrified and alarmed 
consciences. When the bishops and their officials want to put 
one under the ban the transgression is published to the whole 
congregation, otherwise their ban would not be noticed, and the 
messengers would be shown the door. The secular government 
should see to it, whenever the clerical authority overreaches its 
sphere to the injury of souls, that it be restrained, and bishops 
and their officials be not permitted to excommunicate from the 
Church any one without his knowledge and will, whenever it 
pleases them. 

It does not concern God very much as to how the secular 
government uses its power, for he is concerned only about the 
soul, and with this the secular power has nothing to do. It has 
received power to rule over the body and over property. Whether 
we govern well or not does not determine our salvation. But 
it were a matter of great concern if the spiritual authority were 
to say, Do this, and thou shalt be saved; omit this, and thou 
shalt be eternally lost, as though at certain times we must not 
eat eggs and meat and butter, but oil and fish. With Peter we 
must obey God rather than men. 



MAY ELEVENTH 171 



iMag lElmttifj 

But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 3: 18. 

What is it to know Christ but to look upon him as a gift and 
as an example ? A gift given by God that becomes your own ; 
so that when you see and hear him suffering or doing anything, 
you may not doubt that Christ himself in such suffering and 
works is yours, upon which you may depend as though you 
yourself had done them, and as though you yourself were Christ. 
This is what it means to know Christ aright: that he with all 
he has, out of pure divine goodness has been given unto us, that 
he has rendered satisfaction, obtained salvation and eternal life 
for us, and that all this is through him and for his sake, bestowed 
upon us without our merit. 

If in this way you have Christ as the foundation and chief 
treasure of your salvation, then follows the other part of laying 
hold of him as your example, that you give yourself to the serv- 
ice of your neighbor as he has given himself for you. Then faith 
and love will be exercised, God's commandment will be fulfilled, 
and man becomes happy and fearless to do and to suffer any 
and everything. Christ as a gift nourishes your faith and makes 
you a Christian ; but Christ as an example moves you to do good 
works; these do not make you a Christian, but they go forth 
from you who have already become Christians. The pope, how- 
ever, has changed this entirely ; for he commands : If you would 
be saved, you must pray the rosary, fast, become a Carthusian, 
buy indulgences, build churches, and do innumerable things, not 
one of which Christ ever commanded. The worst of all is that 
when they have practiced such works, which benefit neither God, 
nor the world, for a time, they boast of them and say: I have 
fasted so many Fridays with bread and water, I have spent so 



172 MAY TWELFTH 



many years in the cloister, I hope God will not leave me un- 
rewarded for such service, but will on that account give me 
heaven. That certainly is denying Christ, and a terrible blas- 
phemy of the great and unsurpassable grace of God manifested 
toward us in his Son, Jesus Christ. The true knowledge of 
Christ is to know why he came, and how we may appropriate 
him to ourselves. 

ifllag ®tm> tftlj 

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea- 
ture. Mark 16: 15. 

He that would preach the gospel must cast aside all works 
supposed to make one just, and allow nothing to remain but 
faith ; I must believe that God, without any merit of mine and 
regardless of all works, has granted me his grace and eternal 
life. Therefore we must preach in a way that the glory and 
praise will be given to God and not to ourselves. Now there 
is no greater glory and praise that we can give to God than to 
confess that out of pure grace and mercy he takes away from 
us sin, death and hell, and that he gives his beloved Son and 
all his treasures to us. 

Faith compels no one to accept the gospel, but leaves its ac- 
ceptance free to every one and makes it a personal matter. Thus 
you see that the pope errs and does the people injustice when he 
ventures to drive them to faith by force. The Lord commanded 
the disciples to do nothing more than preach the gospel. This 
the disciples also did; they preached the gospel and left its ac- 
ceptance to those who would take it. They did not say: Be- 
lieve, or I will put you to death. 

A question arises as to the words, "Go ye into all the world," 
how it is to be understood, since the apostles certainly did not 
visit all the world? Their preaching went out into all the 



MAY THIRTEENTH I 73 



world, although it has not yet come into all the world. This 
going out has been begun and continues, although it is not yet 
completed; the gospel will be preached farther and wider until 
the judgment day. When this preaching shall have reached all 
parts of the world, and shall have been everywhere heard, then 
will the message be complete and its mission accomplished ; then 
will the last day also be at hand. 

The preaching of this message may be likened to a stone 
thrown into the water, producing ripples which circle outward 
from it, the waves rolling on and on, one driving the other, tUl 
they come to shore. The preaching was begun by the apostles, 
and it constantly goes forward, is pushed on farther and farther 
by the preachers, driven hither and thither into the world, al- 
ways being made known by those who never heard it before, 
although it be arrested in the midst of its course and is con- 
demned as heresy. 

4flag SUjtrtamtlj 

In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with 
new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any 
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. Mark 16: 17, 18. 

How shall we proceed here that we may preserve the truth 
of this passage ? The Lord says all these signs shall accompany 
them. Now we know that the apostles did not present all the 
signs, and if the passage shall stand literally, then few believers 
will be cleared and few saints be entitled to heaven; for these 
signs, one and all, have not accompanied them, though they have 
had power to work signs, and have exhibited some of them. 
These words, therefore, do not refer to the Church as a whole, 
but to persons separately. If there is a Christian who has faith, 
he shall have power to do these accompanying miracles, and 
they shall follow him. Christ says, "He that believeth on me, 



174 MAY FOURTEENTH 



the works that I shall do, shall he do also." The Lord has 
given Christians power also against the unclean spirits. There 
was once a patriarch in the wilderness, who, when he met a 
serpent, took it in both hands and tore it in two, saying, What 
a fine thing it is to have a clear and guiltless conscience. So, 
where there is a Christian, there is still the power to work these 
signs if it is necessary. 

But no one should attempt to exercise this power if it is not 
necessary. The apostles did not always exercise it, but only 
made use of it to prove the Word of God, to confirm it by 
miracles. "They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord 
working with them, and confirming the Word with signs fol- 
lowing." Since the gospel has now been spread abroad, and 
made known to all the world, there is no need of working mira- 
cles as in the apostles' time. Then let no one without pressing 
need undertake to work wonders. I know not what I shall say 
about those who venture to do signs where they are not neces- 
sary. I know that it is a dangerous undertaking. The devil, 
indeed, lets himself be driven out, but he does not intend to 
suffer for it ; he allows it only that he may strengthen the sign- 
worker in such error. I would not like to trust him. But 
wherever a Christian dies in Christ with cheerful heart, Satan 
has been truly cast out and deprived of his power and kingdom. 

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time com- 
eth, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God 
service. John 16: 2. 

Christ pointed out clearly enough what would happen to his 
disciples as a result of their preaching. He mentions two sources 
of opposition to the gospel, than which none could be stronger: 
one that the preacher should be excommunicated and put to 



MAY FOURTEENTH I 75 



death ; the other that the persecutors would regard this as ren- 
dering a service to God. He said that the Holy Spirit should 
testify of him and that they also should bear witness; and he 
assures them that their testimony shall not be effaced by this 
rage and persecution of the world. He gives them this assur- 
ance beforehand for the purpose that they may know and be 
prepared against these same abuses. 

It is strange and almost incredible to hear that not only the 
world shall oppose, with its bitter hatred and rage, Christ, the 
Son of God and its Saviour, but that also the apostles them- 
selves must be offended at such judgment of the world. Who 
could ever conceive that Christ and his gospel should be received 
in this manner among his own people, to whom he had been 
promised by God, and from whom they were to expect nothing 
but that which is good, which they also received from him ? But 
here we are told that the gospel is a teaching which, according 
to human judgment, gives nothing but offense, — a thing un- 
worthy to be heard or tolerated. 

The kingdom of Christ on earth shall so come that it must 
be apparent to all that it is not an earthly kingdom after the 
manner of men. But the world shall refuse to recognize its 
nature. It shall not be called the kingdom of Christ or of God, 
but a destruction and subversion of all good government, both 
spiritual and temporal. It is well-nigh inconceivable that the 
Son of God should be so received by those who are called the 
people of God. For Christ speaks here not of open, malicious, 
wicked knaves and godless men, but of those who are regarded 
as the most eminent, the wisest, the most holy, even the servants 
of God. Who would ever think that God would introduce 
Christ's kingdom upon earth in this way, establish his Word in 
all places and gather his Church. 



176 MAY FIFTEENTH 



JMajj Jfiftwnti? 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the 
Father in my name, he will give it you. John 16: 23. 

The Lord points out five things necessary to constitute true 
prayer. The first is God's promise, which is the chief thing and 
is the foundation and power of all prayers. He promises that 
it shall be given if we ask. He promises that we may be sure 
of being heard in prayer ; he even censures the disciples for being 
lazy and not having prayed. It is truly a great shame to us 
Christians that God should upbraid us for our slothfulness in 
prayer. 

The second requisite in true prayer is faith. We must believe 
that the promise is true, and must not doubt that God will give 
what he promises. The words of promise require faith, — a 
firm, undoubting confidence that God's promise is true. Such 
faith and definite assurance the Holy Spirit must impart; with- 
out the Holy Spirit surely no prayer will be offered. 

The third requisite of true prayer is that one must name 
something definitely for which he prays, as for strong faith, love, 
peace, and for the comfort of his neighbor. One must actually 
set forth petitions as in the Lord's Prayer. 

The fourth element in prayer is, that we must earnestly desire 
that the petition be granted, which is nothing but asking. It is 
an intercession of the Spirit that cannot be uttered. When 
Zacchaeus sought to see the Lord, he did not feel how strongly 
his heart wished that Christ might speak with him and come 
into his house. 

The fifth requisite of prayer is that we ask in the name of 
Christ. This is nothing more than that we come before God 
in the faith of Christ and comfort ourselves with the sure con- 
fidence that he is our Mediator, through whom all things are 



MAY SIXTEENTH 177 



given to us and without whom we merit nothing but wrath and 
disgrace. We pray aright in Christ's name, when we thus trust 
in him that we will be received and heard for his sake and not 
for our own. 

All these five requisites may be complied with in the heart 
without any utterance of the mouth. But oral prayer is neces- 
sary to kindle and encourage prayer inwardly in the heart. We 
must not specify to God the time, place, person, and measure, 
but leave all that to his own free will and cling only to asking. 



It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 
i John 5 : 6. 

John employs the word "witness" in connection with the 
thought of preaching; it is a word which he frequently uses. 
In the beginning of his gospel, where he speaks of John the 
Baptist, he says, "The same came for a witness, that he might 
bear witness of the light." So in the use of the words "witness" 
or "bearing witness," we are to understand simply the public 
preaching of God's Word. Christ says, that the Holy Spirit 
shall bear witness of him ; that is, it shall publicly fill the minis- 
terial office. This is God's own witness to his Son. 

This witness, Christ himself ordains, shall ever go forth, and 
remain in the Church. To this end Christ himself called and 
gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles and their successors, min- 
isters, preachers, and teachers. For the sake of the uninstructed 
masses and the constantly rising young who, as yet in ignorance 
of the Word, need admonition — for the sake of these, the Spirit 
must bear public witness or administer the preaching office that 
they, too, may learn to know the grace of God manifest and 
given us through Christ, and that God's wondrous works may 

Devotional Readings 12 



178 MAY SEVENTEENTH 



be publicly recognized and extolled by us in opposition to the 
devil and the world. 

Wherever such witness is borne, there certainly will be some 
fruit; the witness never fails of effect. Some surely will be 
reached ; some will accept and believe it. Since it is the witness 
of the Holy Spirit, he will be effective, producing in us that to 
which John refers when he says we are the children of God, 
and have the victory and eternal life. The Word and faith 
are vitally related. They are inseparable. Without faith, 
preaching will be fruitless; and faith has origin in the Word 
alone. Therefore, we should gladly handle and hear the Word. 
Where it is, there is also the Holy Spirit ; and where the Spirit 
is, there must be at least some believers. If you have already 
heard the Word and obtained faith, it will always continue to 
strengthen you as you hear it. For the Spirit, as Christ says, 
breathes where he will, and touches hearts when and where he 
knows them to be receptive. 



Hag g>mnte?tttif 



The Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, 
for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and 
twenty years. Gen. 6: 3. 

These are the words of a father who disinherits his son, for 
God simply fixes a hundred and twenty years as the time in 
which opportunity is granted for repentance. He threatens, 
should it not be improved, that his Spirit shall no longer reprove 
and strive, which means that henceforth he will not give his 
Word to men, since all teaching is in vain. This word pertains 
properly to the office of the ministry. For every preacher or 
servant of the Word is a man of strife and judgment, and is 
constrained, by reason of his office, to chide whatever is vicious, 
without considering the person or office of his hearer. When 



MAY EIGHTEENTH I 79 



Jeremiah does this zealously, he incurs not only hate, but also 
the gravest dangers. For this reason Elijah is called by Ahab 
the godless king of Israel, the disturber of Israel. 

When Noah, whom Peter calls a "preacher of righteousness," 
and his ancestors had preached nearly a thousand years, and 
yet the world continued to degenerate more and more, they an- 
nounced God's decision to an ungrateful world and disclosed 
this as his thought: Why should I preach forever and permit 
my heralds to cry in vain? The more messengers I send, the 
longer I defer my wrath, — the worse they become. It is there- 
fore necessary for preaching to cease, and for retribution to 
begin. I shall not permit my Spirit, that is, my Word, to bear 
witness forever. I am constrained to punish their sins. Man 
is flesh and is opposed to me. He continues in his carnal state, 
mocks at the Word, persecutes and hates my Spirit in the patri- 
archs, and the story is told to deaf ears. 

This proclamation contains a public complaint, made by the 
Spirit through the patriarchs; but the flesh remained true to 
its nature. They despised faithful exhortation in their presump- 
tion and carnal security. God shows that he is displeased with 
the perversity of men, nevertheless, as a father would spare his 
son, but is compelled by his wickedness to be severe, so the Lord 
says, I do not gladly destroy the human race. I shall grant them 
one hundred and twenty years in which they may come to them- 
selves, and during which I shall exercise mercy. 



iiag iEtgI)t^nttj 



Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughti- 
ness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is 
able to save your souls. James 1:21. 

By filthiness, James means the impure life of the world — 
indulgence, voluptuousness, and knavery of every sort. These 
things, he says, should be far from you Christians who enjoy 



l8o MAY EIGHTEENTH 



blessings so great and glorious. Could you rightly recognize 
and appreciate these blessings, you would regard all worldly 
pursuits and pleasures mere filth in comparison. Nor is this 
overdrawn; they are such when contrasted with the good and 
perfect heavenly gifts and treasures. You have the Word, says 
James, a Word which is yours, not by your own fancy or effort, 
but which God gave you and implanted in you by grace. It has 
free course, is preached, read and sung among you. It is of the 
utmost importance to receive it, to make profitable use of it, to 
handle it with meekness that we may hold it fast and not allow 
it to be effaced by anger under persecution or by the allurements 
of worldly lusts. 

Meekness and patience are necessary to enable us to triumph 
over the devil and the world. Without them we shall not be 
able to hold fast the Word in our strife against those evil forces. 
We must fight and contend against sin, but if we essay to cool 
our wrath by grasping the devil and his followers by the hair 
and wreaking vengeance upon them, we will accomplish nothing 
and may thereby lose our treasure, the beloved Word. There- 
fore lay hold of the Word planted or grafted within you, that 
you may be able to retain it and have it bring forth its fruits 
in yourself. You have the Word ; it is able to save you if you 
but steadfastly cling to it. Why then need you take any account 
of the world, and anything it may do? What injury can it 
render, what help even can it offer, as long as you hold the 
treasure of the Word? 

The Word is implanted within you in a way to give you the 
certain comfort and sure hope of your salvation. Be careful not 
to permit yourselves to be wrested from it by the wrath or the 
filth of the world. Take heed to accept in purity and to main- 
tain with patience the Word so graciously and richly given you 
by God without effort or merit on your part. Those, who are 
without the Word in their endeavor to attain heaven, accom- 
plish nothing. 



MAY NINETEENTH 1 51 



ilag MtttPimttfj 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, 
but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your 
sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16: 20. 

This is said to all Christians, for every Christian must have 
temptations, trials, anxieties, adversities, sorrows, come what 
may. Therefore Christ mentions here no particular sorrow, nor 
trial, he simply says they shall weep, lament and be sorrowful, 
for the Christian has many persecutions. Some suffer loss of 
goods; there are others whose character suffers ignominy and 
scorn ; some are drowned, others are burned ; one perishes in this 
manner and another in that; it is the lot of the Christian con- 
stantly to suffer misfortune and adversity. This is the rod with 
which they are chastised. This is their court color by which the 
Christian is recognized, and if he wants to be a Christian, he 
dare not be ashamed of his livery. 

No one need lay his cross upon himself, as some foolish per- 
sons have done and are still doing. They even court prison and 
death, saying: Since Christ of his own free will entered death, 
I will follow him in his example, as he commanded us to do. 
Such people do not understand divine things, they think they 
will suddenly enter death with Christ, whom they have never 
learned to know except in words. Thus was Peter also dis- 
posed, but he stood before Christ like a rabbit before one beating 
a drum. The old Adam lacks courage under the cross. The 
new man, however, can persevere through grace. Pious persons 
have no aim of their own in suffering, but if it be God's will 
they bear good fruit like a tree planted by the streams of water. 
This is pleasing to God, since all presumption and show are 
condemned. He who battles heroically will receive joy for his 
suffering, the eternal in place of the temporal. 



82 MAY TWENTIETH 



But why does God permit his own to be persecuted and 
hounded? In order to subdue the free will, that it may not 
seek an expedient in works ; all serves to the end that we should 
accustom ourselves to build alone upon Christ, and to depend 
upon no other work, upon no other creature, whether in heaven 
or upon earth. But on this account we must suffer much. We 
must not only suffer shame and persecution, but the world re- 
joices at our great misfortunes. But this comfort we have that 
their joy shall not last long, and our sorrow shall be turned into 
eternal joy. 



iMag Sfoiimttrtlj 



These things will they do unto you, because they have not 
known the Father, nor me. John 16: 3. 

Christ tells what moves those who oppose the gospel to such 
hatred and persecution of Christians as to excommunicate them 
and even attempt to kill them. It is because they preach con- 
cerning Christ, whom they themselves do not know. That they 
do not know Christ is true without a doubt. Their own deeds 
prove it. They are blind and without the true knowledge of 
God and of Christ, opposing God and his Son with their acts 
of ban and murder under the very appearance and with the 
boast of thereby serving God. But Christ strengthens and com- 
forts his own people that they fear not harsh judgment, nor are 
intimidated from preaching and confession, but say to their ad- 
versaries: "We must obey God rather than man." 

Here Christ also fixes the standard of judgment and points 
out the difference between the true and the false Church. The 
Church is not to be judged by name and external appearance. 
Human reason cannot furnish the necessary qualifications for 
the true Church. The actual test is in ascertaining who have 
the real knowledge of Christ and who have not. What does it 



MAY TWENTY-FIRST 1 83 



mean to know Christ and the Father? The papists boast of 
such a knowledge, as the Jews boasted of being able to recognize 
the Messiah. But an intellectual knowledge of God is not suf- 
ficient. He who wishes to know God truly must know him in 
the Word and promises which the Scriptures set forth about 
Christ, that Christ is the Son of God, sent by the Father as a 
sacrifice and ransom for the sins of the world; that he might 
appease the wrath of God and effect reconciliation for us, re- 
deeming us from sin and death and securing for us righteous- 
ness and everlasting life. Whenever, therefore, we have the 
knowledge of Christ, we must cease boasting and trusting in 
self-righteousness and in works. If Christ alone shall bear my 
sins I cannot at the same time atone for them by my own works 
and by my own pretended worthiness. This teaching points out 
the true Christ and the real knowledge of him. He who thus 
knows Christ, knows the Father also. This knowledge is the 
article of faith by which we become Christians, and is the foun- 
dation of our salvation. 



Mag Stowtg-ftrat 

When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you 
from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from 
the Father, he shall testify of me. John 15 : 26. 

We have often heard that the gospel is the proclamation that 
no man can become just by means of the law; that God has 
sent his dear Son to shed his blood and die, since men cannot 
by their own power and works cancel their sins and get rid of 
them. But though I hear this preaching, I do not at once believe 
it. Therefore God adds his Holy Spirit, who impresses this 
preaching upon the heart, so that it abides there and lives. It 
is a faithful saying that Christ has accomplished everything, has 



184 MAY TWENTY-SECOND 

removed sin and overcome every enemy, so that through him 
we are lords over all things. But the treasure lies in one pile; 
it is not yet distributed, nor invested. The Holy Spirit must 
come and teach our hearts to believe. When we feel that God 
has thus helped us and given us the treasure, everything goes 
well, and man's heart rejoices in God. When the Holy Spirit 
has impressed upon the heart that God is kind and gracious 
toward it, it believes that God can no more be angry, and it 
grows so happy and so bold that, for God's sake, it performs 
and suffers all things possible. 

In this way you are to become acquainted with the Holy 
Spirit. You know to what purpose he is given and what his 
office is, namely, to invest the treasure — Christ and all he has ; 
the Holy Spirit will enfold him in your heart so that he may 
be your own. But in all this we ought to exercise sense and 
understanding that a man receiving the Holy Spirit is not at 
once perfect, insensible to sin and pure in all respects. We do 
not preach that the Holy Spirit has completed and finished his 
work, but that he has only begun it and is now constantly en- 
gaged in it. Consequently you will not find a man who is 
without sin and sorrow, and full of righteousness and joy, and 
who serves everybody freely. The Scriptures indeed tell us 
that the office of the Holy Spirit is to redeem from sin and 
fear; but that does not say that this is altogether accomplished. 
The Christian at times feels his sin and the fear of death, but 
he has a helper, the Holy Spirit, who comforts and strengthens 
him. 

mag ®ttt?tttg-0mmb 

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 
14: 18. 

We see many pious hearts that are always sad and downcast, 
tormenting and alarming themselves with their own thoughts, 



MAY TWENTY-SECOND 1 85 

and being on the verge of despair because of the temptations of 
the devil. Where, say the world and our own flesh, do you 
find under these circumstances the Holy Spirit whom you Chris- 
tians laud so much? A Christian should be wise here and not 
judge things according to his own thoughts and feelings; he 
should keep to the Word and the comfort of the preaching 
which the Holy Spirit gives to all poor and distressed hearts 
and consciences. God does not desire you to be sad or alarmed, 
but joyful and comforted with the certain promise of his grace, 
which the Holy Spirit offers you. 

Of this promise and comfort to allay our feelings and fears, 
Christ assures us in the words, "I will not leave you comfort- 
less." The word translated "comfortless" literally means "or- 
phans." By the use of the word Christ would intimate the con- 
dition of the Church. In the eyes of the world, and even in 
our own estimation, she has not the appearance of a prosperous 
and well-ordered organization; rather she is a scattered group 
of poor, miserable orphans without leader, protection or help 
upon earth. Misery and fears grow upon one under the in- 
fluence of the devil's power, when he pierces the heart with his 
bitter, poisonous, and murderous thrusts. Then the heart feels 
that it is not only forsaken by all men, but also by God himself. 
So it altogether loses Christ and sees no end to its misery. To 
be left thus, to feel that all things have conspired to leave us 
comfortless and helpless, is to be left orphans indeed. 

As Christ has told his Christians beforehand of suffering, so 
also does he wish to give them this comfort and consolation 
beforehand, and desires to teach us not to despair because of 
suffering, but only to hold to his Word, even if it does seem 
that help is being too long delayed. He reminds us of the 
promise that he will not leave us in misery, but will come to us, 
and desires that we should accord him the highest honor due to 
God, by holding him to be true and faithful. 



I 86 MAY TWENTY-THIRD 

We will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 
14: 23. 

What mockery it must have been to the ears of the Jewish 
saints and priests and Pharisees when they heard the words that 
declare how God will make his habitation only with those who 
hear the words of this man! They were only a little handful 
of timid, poor, despised people. As if God did not have a better 
and more glorious habitation, becoming his majesty, in the saints 
and superior persons who were the bright lights and the eminent 
ones among God's people, in the holy city of Jerusalem! And 
the glorious temple and divine worship — did not the Scriptures 
call them the holy city and dwelling place of God, the chosen 
place where he would rest and that forever? Of this they 
boasted very haughtily, and claimed that their kingdom, their 
priesthood and divine worship, should never fail. 

But here Christ ignores all these things as if he were totally 
indifferent to them, and utters the remarkable saying that the 
place of his own and his Father's abode — their habitation and 
their Church — is where a Christian is found, who keeps his 
Word. Thus he discards the old habitation of Judaism and 
the temple of Jerusalem and builds a new, holy, glorious Church 
and house of God, which is not Jerusalem or Judaism, but is 
spread abroad throughout the whole world, without distinction 
of person, place, or custom. Jews, Gentiles, priests or laymen 
— it matters not. This house of God is not of stone or wood, 
made by the hand of man, but newly created of God himself, 
namely a people that love Christ and keep his Word. Christ 
binds the Church to his Word and makes the distinguishing 
mark by which must be measured the teaching, the preaching, 
and rule of conduct. You have the warrant that God dwells 
therein and speaks and acts through that Church. 



MAY TWENTY-FOURTH 1 87 

Observe now what a worthy being that man is who is a Chris- 
tian, or who, as Christ says, keeps Christ's Word. A wonderful 
man is he upon earth, who is of more value in the eyes of God 
than heaven and earth; he is a light and saviour of the world, 
in whom God is all in all, and who in God is able to do all 
things. But to the world he is hidden and unknown. 



Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the 
Spi?'it of God dwelleth in you? I Cor. 3: 16. 

What a glorious, noble, loving, and precious guest and house 
companion man receives, God the Father and the Son and cer- 
tainly with them also the Holy Spirit. This is certainly a 
sublime, beautiful promise, and one of the precious and exceed- 
ing great promises granted unto us poor, miserable sinners, that 
we through them should become partakers of the divine nature, 
and should be so highly honored as not only to be loved of God 
through Christ Jesus and to enjoy his favor and grace, but 
should even have the Lord himself dwelling completely in us. 

Where else should God dwell ? Those self-constituted saints, 
in their own estimation excellent, high and great, are much too 
proud, much too high, wise and holy. They have passed up 
through and far above heaven, so that they could not be his 
habitation upon earth, although they boast of being the only 
Church and people of God. Though they appear in all the pomp 
and glory and ornament of their self-made holiness, yet God 
does not do them the honor to look at them. He is found in 
the humble huts of the poor and despised, who fear and believe 
the Word of Christ and would gladly become Christians, but 
who feel that they are very unholy and unworthy sinners. "They 
are a temple of the living God." 



1 88 MAY TWENTY-FIFTH 

These things are accomplished in this way: in addition to 
the grace by which a man begins to believe and to hold fast to 
the Word, God also rules in man through his divine power and 
agency, so that he constantly grows more and more enlightened, 
becomes richer and stronger in spiritual understanding and wis- 
dom, and better fitted to understand all matters of doctrine and 
practice. He further makes daily progress in life and good 
works, becomes eventually a kind, gentle, patient man, ready 
to serve every one with doctrine, advice, comfort, and gifts; is 
useful to God and man; through him and because of him men 
and countries are benefited ; in short, he is a man through whom 
God speaks, in whom he lives and works. His tongue is God's 
tongue, his hand is God's hand, and his word is God's Word. 
His doctrine and confession as a Christian are not of men, but 
of Christ, whose Word he has and holds. 



JHag Gfomttij-ftftlj 

The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring 
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto 
you. John 14: 26. 

Note well this text, how Christ here binds the Holy Spirit 
to his Word, and fixes his limit and measure, so that the Spirit 
may not go further than his Word. He shall remind you of 
everything which I have said, publishing it further through you. 
Thereby he shows that in the future nothing else shall be taught 
in all Christendom through the Holy Spirit than what the apos- 
tles had heard from Christ, but which they did not understand 
until the Holy Spirit had taught them. So the teaching may 
always proceed from the mouth of Christ, then be transmitted 
from one mouth to another, and yet always remain the Word 



MAY TWENTY-SIXTH 



of Christ. The Holy Spirit is thus the schoolmaster who 
teaches these things and brings them to remembrance. 

It is shown here that this Word precedes, or must be spoken 
beforehand, and afterwards the Holy Spirit works through the 
Word. One must not reverse the order and dream of a Holy 
Spirit who works without the Word and before the Word, but 
one who comes with and through the Word and goes no further 
than the Word goes. The example of the apostles shows also 
how Christ rules his Church in her weakness; the Holy Spirit 
does not dwell in Christians at all times, nor so soon as they 
have heard the Word does he come with such power and ef- 
fectiveness as to enable them to believe it all and rightly to 
understand and grasp it. Although the apostles are so far ad- 
vanced as to hear Christ's Word willingly and to have begun 
to believe, yet even they cannot take these words of comfort to 
heait until the Holy Spirit teaches them after the departure of 
Christ. 

So it is at present. We hear God's Word, which is in fact 
the preaching of the Holy Spirit, who is at all. times present 
with it, but it does not always reach the heart at once and is 
accepted by faith; even in those who are moved by the Holy 
Spirit and gladly receive the Word, it does not at once bear 
fruit. Therefore it must come to this : in need and danger we 
look about and sigh for comfort; then the Holy Spirit can per- 
form his office of teaching the heart and bringing to remem- 
brance the Word preached. 

iilag Qfarottg-atxilf 

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe 
also in me. John 14: I. 

I notice, says Jesus, that my departure [spoken of in the pre- 
ceding chapter] makes you sad and causes anxiety. But there 
is no need of fear, I shall come again; before that time, how- 



190 MAY TWENTY-SIXTH 

ever, you will see many things happen to me, at which you will 
be grieved. They will crucify and miserably misuse me; but 
let it not disturb you, there will soon be a change for the better. 
So is the Father's will. 

Here you can see how affectionately and faithfully the Lord 
Jesus deals with his dear disciples. He does not leave them 
comfortless, although he will be separated from them that very 
night and leave them in great danger, fear and terror. For the 
first misfortune experienced in tribulation is that not only is the 
body affected, but the heart is frightened and grieved. Since 
it is impossible to change flesh and blood, the Lord is especially 
eager that the heart be free and unmolested. He who in times 
of distress has a good conscience and a joyful heart is already 
more than half relieved of his troubles. Consequently Christ 
says: Be careful, that such suffering remain in the body, and 
by no means allow it to affect the heart. 

As Christians, he would say, you are not like those who do 
not know God's Word and who do not believe. You are much 
affected on account of my death, but what ye believe of God, 
ye ought also believe of me. None of you fear that God will 
die, or that he will be cast down from his throne. Why then 
should you fear on my account? Let death, the world, and the 
devil be as angry as they please, they will find nothing in me; 
for I am God. This believe and your hearts will be quieted 
and even find comfort in my death. For when death and I 
grapple with one another, death will be overcome; this shall 
be to your benefit. At present here on earth I am regarded as 
a poor, miserable, powerless man ; but after I shall be lifted up, 
I will draw all men unto me. But just as the disciples could 
not understand such comfort, so we do not understand it, when 
grief comes over us. We are immediately seized with fear, im- 
patience, and despair, and no one can persuade us that our sad- 
ness shall be turned to joy. 



. MAY TWENTY-SEVENTH 1 9 1 

iltag Stotttig-aetmtilj 

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 
all truth. John 16: 13. 

When the Holy Spirit comes he will enlighten your hearts, 
so that you will understand the truth, and will call to remem- 
brance all things. But our doctors and highly learned men 
have made use of these words in a most frivolous manner and 
said that it was necessary to have something more than the 
Scriptures, that one ought also to hear what the councils and the 
pope decree. They endeavor to prove in this way that Christ 
says : Because he has not told them all things, it follows that he 
told them to the councils, popes, and bishops. 

Now look at these fools, what they say. To whom does 
Christ speak? Without doubt to the apostles. Therefore, if 
Christ is not to lie, his Word must have been fulfilled at the 
time that the Holy Spirit came. The Holy Spirit must have 
said everything to the apostles and accomplished everything that 
the Lord here refers to, and, of course, led them into all the 
truth. Christ gives to understand that soon the Holy Spirit 
would tell and explain to them all things, and that afterwards 
the apostles should carry out everything, and through them 
should be made known to the world what they have learned 
from the Holy Spirit. But according to the councils and popes 
it depends upon what they say, teach, and command, even to 
the end of the world. 

If what the councils teach be the truth, that one is to wear 
the tonsure, and the cap, and live a life of celibacy, then the 
apostles never came to the truth, since none of them ever en- 
tered a cloister, nor kept any of those foolish laws. Christ must 
have indeed betrayed us in this, when he said the Holy Spirit 
should guide us into all truth, when in reality he wished to 



192 MAY TWENTY-EIGHTH 

teach us how we were to become priests and monks and not to 
eat meat on certain days, and like foolish things. To hear such 
things is exasperating and it should grieve our hearts to see how 
shamefully the people act against the precious Word of God, and 
that they make the Holy Spirit a liar. Should not this single 
passage be powerful enough against the pope and the councils, 
even if we had no other in the Scriptures? 



Mug 5foi?ttig-rigljilj 

When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all 
with one accord in one place. Acts 2: I. 

When God was about to lead the children of Israel out of 
Egypt, he permitted them to celebrate the Feast of the Passover 
on the night of their departure, and commanded them on every 
annual recurrence of the season to observe the same feast in 
commemoration of their liberation from bondage and their de- 
parture from Egypt. Fifty days later, in their journey through 
the wilderness, they arrived at Mount Sinai. There God gave 
them the law through Moses, and there they were commanded 
to observe annually, in commemoration of that giving of the 
law, the fiftieth day after the Feast of the Passover. Hence 
the name "Feast of Pentecost," the word "Pentecost" coming 
from the Greek "Pentecoste," or fiftieth day. So when the day 
of Pentecost was now "fully come" — when the Jews had prop- 
erly commemorated the giving of the law of God on Mount 
Sinai — the Holy Spirit came, in accordance with Christ's prom- 
ise, and gave them a new law. We now celebrate this feast, not 
because of the old historical event, but because of the new one — 
the sending of the Holy Spirit. 

The occasion of the Jewish observance was the giving of the 
literal law ; but it is ours to celebrate the giving of the spiritual 



MAY TWENTY-NINTH 1 93 



law. There is the written law, commanded of God and com- 
posed of written words. It is called "written" or "literal" be- 
cause it goes no farther and does not enter the heart. With 
dead hearts men could not sincerely observe the commandments 
of God. Were every individual left to do as he pleased, unin- 
fluenced by fear, not one would be found choosing to be con- 
trolled by the law. As long as the law consists merely of writ- 
ten words, it can make no one righteous, can enter no heart. 

The spiritual law is not written with pen and ink, nor uttered 
by lips as Moses read from the tables of stone. We learn that 
the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and filled all the assem- 
bled multitude, and there appeared on each of them parting, 
fiery tongues and they preached so unlike they were wont to do 
that all men were filled with amazement. The Spirit came 
pouring into their hearts, making them different beings, making 
them creatures who loved and willingly obeyed God. This 
change was simply the manifestation of the Spirit himself, his 
work in the heart. 



may 5to*ntg-mttttj 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a 
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. I 
Pet. 5 : 8. 

Since you are a people called to contend with this powerful 
spirit, which is more intent on seizing your souls than is the 
wolf of seizing the sheep, it is essential that you should take 
thought how to withstand him. Resistance is effected only 
through faith and prayer. But soberness and vigilance are 
necessary to enable one to pray. With gormandizers and drunk- 
ards reason is dethroned and they are rendered incapable of 
respecting anything, or of performing any good work. The 

Devotional Readings 13 



94 MAY TWENTY-NINTH 



ability to pray and call upon God has been taken from them, 
and the devil overcomes and devours them at his will. 

The diligence in prayer which characterized Christians of the 
primitive Church, even while undergoing great persecution, is 
apparent to us. They were more than willing to assemble daily 
for prayer, not only morning and evening, but also at certain 
other appointed hours ; and frequently they watched and prayed 
entire nights. Their habit of devotion morning, evening and 
at all times is commendable. With the cessation of this practice 
in the congregations, there succeeded the wretched order of 
monks, who pretended to do the praying for others. We still 
retain from the ancient custom the observance of morning and 
evening prayers in schools for children. But the same practice 
should obtain in every Christian family. Every father is under 
obligation to train up his children to pray at least at the be- 
ginning and the close of day, commending to God every exigency 
of this earthly life, that God's wrath may be averted, and de- 
served punishment withheld. 

Under such conditions, we would be properly instructed and 
not have to be subjected to intolerable oppression and to prohi- 
bitions relative to eating, drinking, and dressing, being guided 
by nature's demands and our own honor and pleasure. Yet wc 
would not be inordinate and brutish in these things, nor shame- 
fully dethrone reason. Drunkenness is a sin and a shame to 
any man, and would be even were there neither God, nor com- 
mandment; much less can it be tolerated among Christians. 
There is more virtue in this respect among the heathen and 
Turks. Our characters ought to be so noble as to give no 
chance of offense at our conduct, that the name of God be not 
defamed, but glorified. 



MAY THIRTHIETH 1 95 



flag Stjtrttrtfj 

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. Matt. 28: 19. 

We have in the holy Scriptures and in the Creed sufficient 
information concerning the Holy Trinity, and all that is neces- 
sary for the instruction of ordinary Christians. That the simple 
Christian may recognize that there is but one divine essence 
and one God, who is tri-personal, a special work, peculiar to 
himself, is ascribed to each person. To the Father we ascribe 
the work of creation ; to the Son the work of redemption ; to 
the Holy Spirit the power to forgive sins, to gladden, to 
strengthen, to transport from death to life eternal. • 

The thought is not that the Father alone is Creator, the 
Son alone Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost alone Sanctifier. The 
creation and preservation of the universe, atonement for sin and 
its forgiveness, resurrection from the dead, and the gift of 
eternal life — all these are operations of the one Divine Majesty 
as such. Yet the Father is especially emphasized in the work 
of creation, which proceeds originally from him as the first 
person; the Son is emphasized in the redemption he has accom- 
plished in his own person; and the Holy Spirit in the special 
work of sanctification, which is both his mission and revelation. 
Such distinction is made for the purpose of affording Christians 
the unqualified assurance that there is but one God and yet 
three persons in one divine essence — truths which the sainted 
fathers have faithfully gathered from the writings of Moses, 
the prophets, and the apostles, and which they have maintained 
against all heretics. 

This faith has descended to us by inheritance, and by his 
power God has maintained it in the Church, against sects and 
adversaries, unto the present time. So we must abide by it in 



I96 MAY THIRTY-FIRST 



its simplicity and not attempt to be wise. Such articles of faith 
appear utterly foolish to reason. Paul aptly calls the gospel 
foolish preaching wherewith God saves such souls as do not 
depend on their own wisdom, but simply believe in the Word. 
Those who will follow reason in the things dealt with in these 
articles, and will reject the Word, shall be defeated and de- 
stroyed in their wisdom. 

iKajj Stytrtg-ftrat 

The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and 
zvatch unto prayer. I Pet. 4: 7. 

It is .not becoming to Christians to lead heathenish lives, to 
indulge in gormandizing, guzzling, and carousing, by which they 
demoralize themselves. They have something nobler to do. 
They are to be occupied with the Word of God from which 
they derive their new birth and with which they preserve it. 
Being born anew they have enemies to fight. As long as they 
live on earth they must combat the devil and their own flesh. 
They must, therefore, not give way to drowsy indolence; much 
less may they become foolish, drunken sots, indifferent to all 
issues and heedless of their obligations. They need rather to 
be watchful and sober, ever ready with the Word and with 
prayer. 

These are the two kinds of weapons with which the devil 
is vanquished and of which he is afraid. Whichever we wield 
is unendurable to him and he cannot abide it. Christians need 
both equipments that their hearts may ever turn to God, cling 
to his Word, and continually pray a perpetual Lord's Prayer. 
Christians should be diligent in hearing, learning, and prac- 
ticing the Word of God, that they may receive instruction, com- 
fort, and strength. They need to be sincere in their petitions 
upon the authority of that Word, cry and call to God for help 



JUNE FIRST 197 



when temptations and conflicts arise. One or the other of these 
weapons of defense should be continually in active exercise, 
effecting perpetual intercourse between God and man — God 
either speaking to us while we quietly listen, or hearing our 
utterances and petitions to him concerning our needs. The 
Christian should learn from the temptations and straits with 
which the devil, the world, and his own flesh constantly oppress 
him, to be ever on his guard, watching for the enemy's point of 
attack; for the enemy never sleeps, nor rests a single moment. 
Peter therefore enjoins the Christian to keep within the 
bounds of physical temperance and sobriety. He is not to over- 
load and injure his body by excessive eating and drinking. He 
who is not careful to discharge the obligations of his office or 
station with temperance and sobriety is incapable of praying or 
performing any Christian duty, and is unfit for any service. 



3lmt? 3ftrst 

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not 
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed 
in us. Rom. 8:18. 

Notice how Paul turns his back to the world and his face 
to the future revelation, as if seeing no suffering anywhere, but 
all joy. "Even if it does go ill with us," he would argue, "what 
indeed is our suffering in comparison with the unspeakable joy 
and glory to be revealed in us? It is too insignificant to be 
compared and unworthy to be called suffering." We fail to 
realize the truth of these words because we do not see with 
our bodily eyes the supreme glory awaiting us, because we fail 
to grasp fully the fact that we shall never die, but shall have 
a body that cannot suffer, nor be ill. If one could conceive the 
nature of this reward, he would be compelled to say: "Were it 



I98 JUNE SECOND 



possible for me to suffer ten deaths, by fire or flood, that would 
be nothing in comparison with the future life of glory." What is 
temporal suffering, however protracted, contrasted with eternal 
life? It is not worthy to be called suffering or to be esteemed 
meritorious. 

In this light Paul regards suffering, and he admonishes Chris- 
tians to look upon it in a similar manner. Then shall they find 
the infinite beyond all comparison with the finite. The suffer- 
ing of the world is always to be counted as nothing, measured 
by the glorious and eternal possessions yet to be ours. If you 
essay to be a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not 
suffer with him, to be his brother and are not like unto him, 
Christ certainly will not at the last day acknowledge you as a 
brother and fellow-heir. Rather he will ask where are your 
crown of thorns, your cross, the nails and scourge ; whether you 
have been, as he and his followers ever have from the beginning 
of time, an abomination to the world. If you cannot qualify 
in this respect, he cannot regard you as his brother. In short, 
we must all suffer with the Son of God and be made like unto 
him, or we shall not be exalted with him in glory. 

3lmt? %>mmh 

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet 
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall 
appear, we shall be like him. 1 John 3 : 2. 

When our Lord Jesus Christ comes with his beloved angels 
and we are drawn up into the clouds to meet him in the air, he 
will bring to God's children a glory consistent with their name. 
They will be far more splendidly arrayed than were the children 
of the world in their lifetime, who went about in purple and 
velvet and ornaments of gold, as the rich man, in silk. Then 
shall they wear their own livery and shine as the sun in the 



JUNE THIRD 199 



kingdom of their Father. Such is the wonderful glory of the 
revelation, that the radiant beauty of poor Lazarus, who had 
lain in wretchedness at the rich man's gate, surpasses all ex- 
pectation. 

The hope of this wonderful glory is ours, and that of all 
creation with us, for creation is to be purified and renewed for 
our sakes. Then will we be impressed with the grandeur of 
the sun, the majesty of the trees, and the beauty of the flowers. 
Having so much in prospect, we should, in the buoyancy of our 
hope, attach little importance to the slight suffering that may 
be our earthly lot. What is it compared with the glory to be 
revealed in us ? Doubtless in yonder life we shall reproach our- 
selves with the thought: "How foolish I was! I am unworthy 
to be called the child of God, for I esteemed myself all too 
highly on earth and placed too little value upon this surpassing 
glory and happiness. Were I still in the world and with the 
knowledge I now have of the heavenly glory, I would, were it 
possible, suffer a thousand years of imprisonment, or endure 
illness, persecution or other misfortunes. Now I am truly con- 
vinced that all the sufferings of the world are nothing, measured 
by the glory to be manifested in the children of God." 

Here on earth men as a rule are dishonorable and wicked and 
obey not the will of the Lord God as it is done in heaven ; but 
the day will come when only righteousness and holiness shall 
dwell on the earth — none but godly, righteous souls. 



3!tm* QHytrii 



He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his 
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. 1 Peter 
3: 10. 

This injunction really applies to doctrine, meaning that we 
are to abide by the true Word of God and not to allow our- 



200 JUNE THIRD 



selves to be seduced by false teaching. On account of the faith 
and confession for which men are called Christians, they must 
suffer much; they are endangered, hated, persecuted, oppressed, 
and harrassed by the whole world. Christians might easily 
believe that they have cause to return evil, and being mortals 
of flesh and blood, they are inevitably moved to be angry and 
to curse, or to deny their confession and doctrine and with un- 
believers to join the false church with its idolatrous teaching. 
According to the nature of flesh and blood they fret because 
they are compelled to witness the prosperity of the world in its 
ungodly life and wickedness, how it despises and persecutes 
them with pride and indolence. But they are not to allow them- 
selves to be easily provoked; they should strive to keep wrong, 
displeasure, vexations and worry outside their inner life. 

When one is prompted to anger and to complain about in- 
jury and wrong, in his impatience and irritation he cannot 
speak fairly concerning the matter of offense, but invariably 
exaggerates. The individual that suffers a single adverse word 
immediately proceeds to abuse and slander his opponent. An 
angry heart knows no moderation, but makes of a splinter, or 
even a mote, a great beam, or fans a tiny spark into a volcano 
of flame, by retaliating with reviling and cursing. If possible, 
he would even murder the offender and commit a greater wrong 
than he has suffered. 

Thus Peter admonishes you to restrain your tongues, to curb 
them, lest they suddenly get beyond your control and you sin 
in wicked words, doing twice as much injury as you have re- 
ceived. Guard your lips that you utter no guile or falsehood 
through your anger, and that it may not calumniate, abuse and 
slander your neighbor in violation of the eighth commandment. 
Such conduct is, before God and man, unbecoming a Christian 
and leads to that most disgraceful vice of slander, which God 
supremely hates. Therefore be all the more diligent to do good, 
that your heart may retain its honor and joy. 



JUNE FOURTH 201 



3ltm? Sfauritj 

Be of the same mind one toward another. Rom. 12: 16. 

Harmony is the imperative virtue for the Christian Church. 
Before other virtues can be manifest, there must first be concord 
and unity of heart among all. It is impossible that outward 
circumstances of human life be always the same; much dissimi- 
larity in person, station, and occupation is inevitable. To this 
very unlikeness and to the natural depravity of flesh and blood 
is due the discord and disagreement of men in this world. Let 
one become conscious of personal superiority in point of up- 
rightness, learning, skill or natural ability, or let him become 
aware of his loftier station in life, and he immediately grows 
self-complacent, thinks himself better than his fellows, demands 
honor and recognition from all men, is unwilling to yield or 
to serve an inferior and thinks himself entitled to such right 
and privilege because of his superiority and virtue. 

This matter of harmony is the first and most necessary com- 
mandment enjoined by the doctrine of faith; this virtue is the 
first fruit which faith is to effect among Christians, who are 
called in one faith and one baptism. It is to be the beginning 
of their Christian love. For true faith necessarily creates in 
all believers the spirit that reasons: "We are all called by one 
Word, one baptism and Holy Spirit, to the same salvation; we 
are alike heirs of the grace and blessings of God. Although 
one has more and greater gifts than another, he is not on that 
account better before God. By grace alone, without any merit 
of ours, we are pleasing to God. Before him none can boast 
of himself." 

When one imagines himself better than his fellows, desiring 
to exalt and glorify himself above others, he is really no longer 
a Christian, because he is no longer in that unity of mind and 
faith essential to Christians. Christ with his grace is always 



202 JUNE FIFTH 



the same, and cannot be divided or apportioned within himself. 
So long as unity of faith and oneness of mind survive, the true 
Church of God abides, notwithstanding there may be some weak- 
ness in other points. Of this fact the devil is well aware ; hence 
his hostility to Christian unity. Christians should, therefore, 
be all the more careful to cherish the virtue of harmony, both 
in the Church and in secular government. 



ittttt Jtfttj 



// any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye 
have received, let him be accursed. Gal. 1 : 9. 

God often in this life lays hold upon leaders of sects who 
blaspheme and slander him with their false doctrines. He in- 
flicts upon them unusual punishments for the sake of warning 
others. All men must admit that God can have no pleasure 
in their doctrine, since he visits them with special marks of his 
displeasure, destroying them with severer punishment than 
ordinary befalls offenders. 

History records that John the evangelist had as contem- 
porary a heretic named Cerinthus, who first arose in opposition 
to the apostolic doctrine and in blasphemy against the Lord 
Jesus with the claim that Jesus is not God. This blasphemy 
spread to such an extent that John saw himself compelled to 
supplement the work of the other evangelists with this gospel, 
whose distinct purpose it is to defend and maintain the deity 
of Christ against Cerinthus and his rabble. Having on a cer- 
tain occasion gone to a public bath with some of his disciples, 
John became aware that Cerinthus and his rabble were also 
there. Without hesitation he told his disciples to be up and 
away, and not abide among the blasphemers. The disciples fol- 
lowed his advice and departed. Immediately after their de- 



JUNE SIXTH 203 



parture the building collapsed, and Cerinthus and his followers 
perished. 

We also read concerning the heretic Arius, the chief foe of 
his time to the dogma of the deity of Christ. The injur} 7 done 
to the cause of Christ by this man occupied the Church for 
four centuries after his death; and to-day his heresy has not 
been entirely rooted out. With an oath Arius had impressed 
the emperor and his counsellors with the righteousness of his 
doctrine. The emperor commanded Alexander, the bishop, to 
restore him to the priestly office. The bishop resolved to seek 
help from God, where alone it is found in all things relating 
to God's honor. He prayed all night long that God should 
preserve his name and honor, and Christendom against the 
heretics. In a pompous procession the following day Arius sud- 
denly became ill, withdrew, and died. Thus we see that God 
has preserved this doctrine against the devil and his blasphemers, 
and he shall preserve it in the future, that we may believe in 
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 



ilmte ^txttj 



There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple 
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. Luke 16: 19. 

We must not view the rich man according to his outward 
conduct ; for he is in sheep's clothing, his life glitters and shines 
beautifully, while he tactfully conceals the wolf. The text 
does not accuse him of adultery, of murder or robbery, or of 
anything that the world would censure. He had been as honor- 
able and respectful in his life as that Pharisee who fasted twice 
a week and was not as other men. Had he committed glaring 
sins, the gospel would have mentioned them, since it examines 
him so minutely as to describe even the purple robe he wore 
and the food he ate, which are only external matters, and God 



204 JUNE SEVENTH 



does not judge according to them. Hence he must have led an 
outwardly exemplary life. 

But we must look into his heart and judge his spirit. The 
gospel has penetrating eyes and looks deep into the secret re- 
cesses of the soul, reproves the works which reason cannot re- 
prove and looks not at the sheep's clothing, but at the true 
fruit of the tree to learn whether it is good or not. If we 
judge this rich man according to the fruits of faith, we will 
find a heart of unbelief. The gospel chastises him because he 
fares sumptuously every day and clothes himself so richly. He 
is not punished because he indulged in sumptuous fare and fine 
clothes; many saints, kings and queens in ancient times wore 
costly apparel; but because his heart was attached to them, 
sought them, trusted in them, and found in them all his joy 
and pleasure. He made them in fact his idols. 

Where faith is, there is no anxiety for fine clothing and 
sumptuous living; there is no longing for riches, honor, pleasure 
and all that is not God himself. But there is a seeking and 
striving for God, the highest good. It is the same to the man 
of faith whether his food be dainty or plain, whether his cloth- 
ing be fine or homespun. Though they even do wear costly 
clothes, possess great influence and honor, they esteem none of 
these things, but are forced to them, or come to them by acci- 
dent, or they are compelled to use them in the service of others. 

Mm -&mitft|[ 

Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that 
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a reward- 
er of them that diligently seek him. Heb. n : 6. 

It is the nature of faith to expect all good from God, and 
to rely only on him. From this faith man knows God, how 
good and gracious he is, and by reason of such knowledge his 



JUNE SEVENTH 205 



heart becomes so tender and merciful that he wishes cheerfully 
to do to every one what he has experienced from God. There- 
fore he goes forth in acts of love and serves his neighbor with 
his whole heart, with his body and soul, with his means and 
honor, with his life and spirit, and makes him partake of all 
he has, just as God did to him. Therefore he does not look 
after the healthy, the high, the strong, the rich, the noble, the 
holy persons who do not need his care; but he looks after the 
sick, the weak, the poor, the despised, the sinful, to whom he 
can be of benefit, and among whom he can exercise his tender 
heart, and do to them as God has done to him. 

But the nature of unbelief is that it does not expect any good 
from God. The heart is blinded so that it neither feels nor 
knows how good and gracious God is. Out of this blindness 
follows further that the heart becomes so hard, obdurate and 
unmerciful that the man has no desire to do any kindness to 
his fellow man. As he is insensible to the goodness of God, he 
takes no pleasure in doing good to his neighbor. Consequently 
it follows that he does not look after the sick, poor and despised, 
to whom he could and should be helpful and profitable ; he sees 
only the high, rich and influential, from whom he himself may 
receive advantage, gain, pleasure and honor. Where unbelief 
reigns man is absorbed by vanities, seeks them and does not rest 
until he has acquired them, and after he possesses them he feeds 
and fattens on them as the swine, and finds his sole happiness 
in them. He never inquires how his heart stands with his God 
and what he possesses in God and may expect from him; his 
belly is his God ; if he cannot get what he wants he thinks things 
are all going wrong. From this then follows the other sin, that 
he forgets to exercise love toward his neighbor. Thus we see 
that it is impossible to love, where no faith exists, and impossi- 
ble to believe, where there is no love. Both must go together. 



206 JUNE EIGHTH 



While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on 
all them which heard the word. Acts 10: 44. 

From this we should learn what is the office of the Holy 
Spirit in the Church, and how or by what means he is received 
in the heart and works there. It is through preaching Jesus 
Christ the Lord. The gospel is the message which God would 
have preached world-wide, declaring to every individual that 
since no man can be made righteous through the law, but must 
rather become more unrighteous, God sent his own beloved Son 
to shed his blood and die for our sins, from which we could not 
be released by our own effort. It is not enough simply that 
Christ be preached; the Word must be believed. Therefore, 
God sends the Holy Spirit to impress the preaching upon the 
heart, to make it inhere and live therein. Without doubt Christ 
accomplished all, enabling us to become, through him, lords over 
all things. But the treasure lies in a heap ; it is not everywhere 
distributed and applied. Before we can enjoy it, the Holy 
Spirit comes and communicates it to the heart, enabling us to 
believe and say, "I too am one who shall have the blessing." 
Now, with the belief that God has come to our rescue and given 
us his priceless blessing, inevitably the human heart must be 
filled with joy and gratitude to God, and exultingly cry: "Dear 
Father, since it is thy will to manifest inexpressible love and 
fidelity toward me, I will love thee sincerely, and willingly do 
what is pleasing to thee." 

But in one sense know that all is not accomplished when the 
Holy Spirit is received. The possessor of the Spirit is not made 
entirely perfect and pure in all respects at once. We do not 
preach the doctrine that the Spirit's office is one of complete ac- 
complishment, but rather that it is progressive. The Christian 



JUNE NINTH 207 



must, in some measure, still feel sin in his heart and experience 
the terrors of death; he is affected by whatever affects other 
sinners. But he is supported by the Holy Spirit, who consoles 
and strengthens him till the work is fully accomplished. As 
long as we live in the flesh, we cannot attain such a degree of 
perfection as to be wholly free from weakness and faults. The 
pious Christian is still flesh and blood, but he strives to resist 
evil lusts and all other sins. 



3ittt* Nttttlj 



It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that 
ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once de- 
livered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in 
unawares . . . turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and 
denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 
i:3,4. 

The reason I wish to write unto you, says Jude, is that you 
may continue in the faith which you have heard. There are 
already preachers at hand which advocate other doctrines than 
that faith ; by these the people are gently and unsuspectingly led 
astray from the true way. Upon these false teachers the sen- 
tence of judgment, he says, has already been pronounced long 
ago, namely, that they are condemned. 

We now understand this quite well, since we have learned 
that no one can become righteous or be justified (before God) 
by his own works, but through faith in Christ alone; that he 
must rely upon the work of Christ as the chief good and only 
support. Then after faith is present, whatever man does should 
be done for the benefit of his neighbor. The grace of God, which 
holds Christ before us, that is offered and given unto us through 
the gospel with all that he has, these men use only for leading 
impure lives. They call themselves Christians, praise the gospel, 



208 JUNE TENTH 



but live in wantonness, in eating and drinking. They boast that 
they are not in a secular, but in a spiritual state, and on that 
account claim all good, honor and luxury. 

The denying of the Lord God is not with the mouth, for 
they confess that God is Lord; but they deny Christ in their 
deeds and works, considering him not as their Lord, but being 
their own lords unto themselves. For when they preach that 
fasts, pilgrimages, church institutions (ceremonies), chastity 
(celibacy), obedience (to the rules of ecclesiastical orders) pov- 
erty and the like are the way to salvation, they lead people 
astray. They say nothing about Christ, as though he were not 
needed and his work of redemption of no value. Thus they 
deny Christ, who has bought them with his own blood. They 
know not that our salvation is founded upon faith and love. 
They are offended when we reject their works and preach that 
Christ alone must help us with his works. 

Stone Stent!? 

The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are 
open unto their prayers: hut the face of the Lord is against 
them that do evil. I Peter 3: 12. 

Inscribe this verse upon your heart in firm faith and see if it 
does not bring you peace and blessings. Try to believe that 
God sits above, sleepless and with his vigilant eye ever upon 
you. With watchful vision he beholds the righteous as they 
suffer violence and wrong. Why will you complain and be- 
come discouraged by reason of the harm and grief you ex- 
perience, when the gracious eyes of God, the true Judge, are 
upon you with the intent to help you? All the wealth of the 
world would I give, if I could, to purchase that watchful care, 
or rather obtain the requisite faith; for surely the lack is not 
in God's regarding, but in our faith. 



JUNE ELEVENTH 200, 



More than this, God's ears are open to the prayers of thf 
righteous. As he looks upon you with gracious winning eyes, 
so also are his ears alert even to the faintest sound. He hears 
your complaint, your sighing and prayer, and hears them wil- 
lingly and with pleasure ; as soon as you open your mouth, your 
prayer is heard and answered. 

But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. God's 
eyes are upon the righteous, but he sees also the others. In this 
case he beholds not with a friendly look or gracious countenance, 
but with a displeased and wrathful face. When a man is 
angry the forehead frowns, the nostrils dilate and the eyes flash. 
Such a manifestation of anger we are to understand when the 
Scripture here refers to "the face of the Lord." On the con- 
trary it illustrates the pleased and gracious aspect of God by 
"the eyes of the Lord." 

What is the effect of "the face of the Lord" upon evildoers? 
According to the words of the Psalm, it is "to cut off the re- 
membrance of them from the earth." This is a terrible sentence 
before which a heart may well be prostrate as from a thunder- 
bolt. Ungodly hearts would be appalled were they not so hard- 
ened in despising God's Word. Verily it is no jest with God. 
In contrast, the righteous, because they have feared God and 
abode in their piety, shall, even here upon earth, live to see 
blessing and prosperity upon their children's children. 



ilutt? Clmtttljf 



Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: 
he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Ps. 55 : 22. 

Let not your burden rest upon yourselves ; for ye cannot bear 
it, and must finally perish beneath its weight. Confident and 
full of joy, cast it upon God, and say: Heavenly Father, thou 
art my Lord and God, who didst create me and hast redeemed 

Devotional Readings 14 



2IO JUNE ELEVENTH 



me through thy Son. Now, thou hast committed to me and laid 
upon me this office or work ; things do not go as well as I would 
like. There is so much to oppress and worry, that I can find 
neither counsel nor help. Therefore I commend everything to 
thee. Do thou supply counsel and help, and be thou, thyself, 
everything in these things. Such prayer is pleasing to God, as 
he tells us to throw upon him all anxiety as to the issue and 
what we shall accomplish. 

No heathen, philosopher or jurist, if he have not God's Word, 
can throw his care and complaint upon God. When trouble 
arises, he begins to murmur and argue against God and his 
government, as though God's rule merited criticism. But such 
men receive their deserts when God permits their calculations 
and hopes to fail and lets the reverse prevail. They spend their 
lives in many vain, useless cares and projects and in the course 
of their experience must learn and confess that many a time 
the very opposite of their judgment is the truth. 

The Christian has the rare faculty, above all other people on 
earth, of knowing where to place his cares. He commits his 
troubles to God and proceeds with vigor against all that opposes. 
In time of danger and in the hour of death, when, with all his 
worrying, he cannot discover where he is or whither he is jour- 
neying, he must, with eyes, senses and thoughts closed to the 
world, surrender himself in faith and confidence to God and cast 
himself upon his hand and protection, and say: God has per- 
mitted me to live until this hour without my solicitude. He has 
given me his beloved Son as a treasure and sure pledge of eternal 
life. Therefore, my dear soul, journey on in joy. Thou hast a 
faithful Father and Saviour, who has taken thee into his own 
hand, and will preserve thee. 



JUNE TWELFTH 211 



Mm Gfotelfttj 



This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more 
in knowledge and in all judgment; . . .that ye may be sincere 
and without offence till the day of Christ. Phil. I : 9, 10. 

Paul says he thanks God for the fellowship of the Philippians 
in the gospel, and offers prayer in their behalf. It should be the 
joy of a Christian heart to see multitudes accept the offer of 
mercy, and praise and thank God with him. This desire for 
the participation of others in the gospel promotes the spirit of 
prayer. The Christian cannot be a misanthrope, wholly uncon- 
cerned whether his fellows believe or not. He should be inter- 
ested in all men and unceasingly long and pray for their salva- 
tion; for the sanctification of God's name, the coming of his 
kingdom, the fulfilment of his will ; and for the exposure every- 
where of the devil's deceptions, the suppression of his murderous 
power over poor souls and the restraint of his authority. 

This prayer should be the sincere, earnest outflow of the true 
Christian's heart. Paul's words indicate that his praise and 
prayer were inspired by a fervent spirit. He speaks in a way 
worthy of an apostle. He renders praise and prayer with keen- 
est pleasure. He rejoices in his heart that he has somewhere a 
little band of Christians who love the gospel and with whom 
he may rejoice; that he may thank God for them and pray in 
their behalf. Was there not much more reason that all 
who had heard the gospel should rejoice and thank Paul in 
heart and expression for it, praying God in his behalf, should 
rejoice that they became worthy of the apostle's favor, were 
delivered from their blindness and had now received from him 
the light transferring them from sin and death into the grace 
of God and eternal life? 

But Paul does not wait for them to take the initiative, as they 



212 JUNE THIRTEENTH 



ought to have done to declare their joy and their gratitude to 
him. In his first utterance he pours out the joy of his heart, 
fervently thanking God for them. Well might they have 
blushed, and reproached themselves, when they received the 
epistle beginning with these words. Well might they have said : 
"We should not have permitted him to speak in this way; it was 
our place first to show him gratitude and joy." 

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of 
my flesh. Gen. 2 : 23. 

As Adam was pure and holy the words of Adam may rightly 
be said to be divine words or the voice of God, for God spoke 
through him. All the words and the works of Adam in that 
state of innocency are divine, and therefore may truly be said to 
be the words and works of God. Eve is presented to Adam 
by God himself. And just in the same manner as the will of 
God is prepared t© institute marriage, so Adam is prepared to 
receive Eve with all pleasure and holiness when brought unto 
him. So even now the affection of the intended husband toward 
his betrothed spouse is of a particular and elevated kind. 

It is worthy of our greatest wonder and admiration that 
Adam, the moment he cast his eye on Eve, knew her to be a 
creature formed out of himself. He immediately said, "This 
is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh." These are 
not the words of an ignorant one, nor of one who was a sinner ; 
nor of one who was ignorant of the works and creation of God. 
They are the words of one righteous, wise and full of the Holy 
Spirit; of that Holy Spirit who reveals to the world, before 
ignorant of such high and holy wisdom, that God is the efficient 
cause of marriage and that the final cause of marriage is that 
the wife might be unto her husband a civil, moral and domestic 



JUNE FOURTEENTH 213 



habitation and cohabitation. This knowledge comes not from 
the five senses and reason merely. It is a revelation of the Holy 
Spirit. 

That word "now" in this sentence most beautifully expresses 
the glad surprise and exulting joy of a noble spirit which had 
been seeking this delightful companion of life; a companion- 
ship full, not only of love, but of holiness. As if Adam had said, 
This woman is at length what and all I want. With her I 
desire to live, and with her to obey the will of God in the propa- 
gation of posterity. 

Now, however, this true purity, innocence and holiness are 
lost. There still remains, indeed, a feeling of joy and affection 
in the intended husband toward his spouse ; but it is impure and 
corrupt on account of sin. The affection of Adam, however, 
was most pure, most holy and grateful to God. 



3Jmt? 3faurie£tttJj 



I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly 
lust, which war against the soul;. . . .that they (the Gentiles) 
may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God 
in the day of visitation. I Pet. 2 : n, 12. 

Peter admonishes Christians to Christlike lives and works in 
view of the fact that they are called to great glory, having be- 
come through Christ a royal priesthood, a people of God and 
citizens of heaven. He would have them occupy this temporal 
world as guests, striving after another and eternal kingdom ; 
that is, to abstain from all carnal lusts and maintain a blameless 
walk, a life of good works. The apostle assigns two reasons for 
such self-denial : first, that we may not, through carnal, lustful 
habits, lose the spiritual and eternal; second, that God's name 
and the glory we have in Christ may not be slandered among our 



214 JUNE FIFTEENTH 



heathen adversaries, but rather, because of our good works, be 
honored. 

When Peter admonishes to "abstain from fleshly lusts, which 
war against the soul," he implies that if we do not resist carnal 
inclinations, we shall lose our priceless eternal inheritance. To 
be a stranger on earth, striving after another and better life, is 
inconsistent with living in fleshly lusts as if one's sole intent 
were to remain in the world forever. If you would have the 
things of one life, Peter says, you must forsake the things of 
the other. If you forget your fatherland and lie drunken in this 
carnal life, as does the heathen world in living in unbelief and 
without hope of eternal life, you will never reach yonder ex- 
istence. It is necessary to strive if we are to withstand the lusts 
of the flesh ; for these war against the soul — against faith and 
the good conscience of man. If lust triumphs, our hold on the 
Spirit and on faith is lost. If you would not be defeated, you 
must valiantly contend against carnal inclinations and maintain 
your spiritual, eternal good. Our own welfare demands the 
conquest. 

But God's honor also calls for it. God's honor is affected by 
our manner of life here on earth. We are to avoid giving occasion 
for our enemies to open their mouths in calumniation of God's 
name and his Word. Rather must we magnify the name of 
God by our confession and general conduct, and thus win others, 
who shall with us confess and honor him. "Let your light so 
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glori- 
fy your Father which is in heaven." 



3ltm? Jfftfteettttj 



How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? . Ps. 
4: 2. 

To have vanity is not the greatest of evils, for every man is 
vain, and there is nothing new under the sun, and though it be 



JUNE FIFTEENTH 215 



an evil, it is bearable. For there is not one saint that does not 
hope, trust, desire, fear, love and hate, more or less, in a way 
and manner that he ought not. But this body of sin and death, 
these laws of sin, these vanities, he ought to hate, not to love, 
nor take pleasure in them. To use the comfort and help of a 
creature is not sin, nor wrong ; but to love them and rest in them 
alone, and from a love of them, not to trust in God, is an ungod- 
ly sin. 

Hence, nothing more pestilential and destructive can be 
taught a Christian than moral philosophy and the decrees of 
men, if they be so set before him as to make him believe that he 
can walk in and by them so as to please God, For by such in- 
struction it will come to pass that, relying on this wisdom, he 
will judge, condemn, and persecute whatever he sees is against 
him, and will thereby reject the cross of Christ and utterly 
despise the way of God, which is in its best and most prosper- 
ous state when we are following, as through a desert and wilder- 
ness, Christ in a pillar of fire. 

But all these things are better understood by experience in 
time of suffering and adversity than they can possibly be de- 
scribed in words, or imagined by the heart. If the affections 
and thoughts of men are without faith in God, they are without 
the Word of God; if they are without the Word of God, they 
are without truth. Thus all things which are without faith are 
vanities and lies; for faith is truth by the Word of truth in 
which it believes and to which it cleaves by believing. The 
true meaning of this verse then is, that all are ungodly idolaters 
and polluters of the glory of God who under any tribulation 
draw back from faith, hope and love, to a confidence and com- 
fort in created things. 



2l6 JUNE SIXTEENTH 



For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the 
manifestation of the sons of God. Rom. 8: 19. 

Just as we Christians endure many kinds of injustice and con- 
sequently sigh for and implore help and deliverance in the Lord's 
prayer, so do the creatures sigh. Although they have not human 
utterance, yet they have speech intelligible to God and the Holy 
Spirit, who mark the creatures' sighs over their unjust abuse by 
the ungodly. 

Nowhere else in the Holy Scriptures do we find anything like 
Paul's declaration here concerning the earnest expectation and 
waiting of the creatures for the revelation or manifestation of 
the children of God ; which waiting the apostle characterizes as 
a sighing in eager desire for man's redemption. The sun, the 
moon, the stars, the heavens and earth, the bread we eat, the 
water or wine we drink, the cattle and sheep, in short, all things 
that minister to our comfort, cry out in accusation against the 
world, because they are subject to vanity and must suffer with 
Christ and his brethren. The accusing cry is beyond human 
power to express, for God's created things are innumerable. 
Rightly was it said from the pulpit in former times that on the 
last day all creatures will utter an accusing cry against the un- 
godly who have shown them abuse here on earth, and will call 
them tyrants to whom they were unjustly subjected. 

Paul presents this example of the creatures for the comfort of 
Christians. You are not alone in your tribulation and your 
complaint of injustice; the whole creation suffers with you and 
cries out against its subjection to the wicked world. This is the 
explanation of Paul's wonderful declaration concerning the 
"earnest expectation of the creature." The creature continually 
regards the end of service, and freedom from slavery to the un- 



JUNE SEVENTEENTH 217 

godly. This will not take place before the revealing of the sons 
of God. Therefore the whole creation cries : "Oh, for a speedy 
end of this calamity, and the dawning of glory for the children 
of God!" 

Ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 
I Peter 3 : 9. 

Wonderful and glorious fact, that God has decreed and ap- 
propriated to you this blessing whereby all the riches of his 
grace and everything good are yours ! And that he will abund- 
antly give you his Spirit to remain with you, blessing body and 
soul, if only you hold fast his grace and do not allow yourselves 
to be deprived of it. What price would you not gladly pay for 
this blessing, were it purchasable, instead of being freely given, 
without any merit, and were you privileged to buy the assurance 
of heart which would say, "I know I am a child of God, who 
has received me into his grace, and I live in the sure hope that I 
will be eternally blessed and saved." Think, what a vast differ- 
ence God makes between you and others because you are a 
Christian. He has appointed you to be an heir of everlasting 
grace and blessing and of eternal life. But they who are not 
Christians — what have they but a terrible sentence like a 
weight about their necks? The sentence pronouncing them 
children of the curse and of eternal condemnation. 

If men would take this to heart, it would be easy by teaching 
and persuasion to win them to friendship and kindness toward 
their fellow men ; to induce them not to return evil or reviling 
from a motive of revenge, but when their own privileges and 
protection and the punishment of evil cannot be obtained, quietly 
and peaceably to suffer injury rather than lose their eternal com- 
fort and joy. Christians have excellent reason and a powerful 



2l8 JUNE EIGHTEENTH 



motive for being patient and not revengeful or bitter in the fact 
that they are so richly blessed of God and given that great glory 
whereof they cannot be deprived, nor suffer its loss, if only they 
abide in it. Only see that you keep a quiet conscience and a 
loving heart, not allowing yourself, on account of the devil and 
wicked men, to be disturbed and deprived of your good con- 
science, your peaceful heart and your God-given blessing. 



She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of 
Man. Gen. 2: 23. 

This name which Adam gives to the woman contains in it 
a wonderful and sweet description of marriage, in which, as the 
lawyers express it, "The woman shines in the rays of her hus- 
band." For whatever the husband possesses, is possessed and 
held by the wife also. Not only is all their wealth possessed 
by them in common, but their children also, their food, their bed 
and their habitation. Their wishes are also equal. So that the 
husband differs from the wife in no other thing than in sex. In 
every other respect, the woman is really a man. In a word the 
woman, as Paul remarks in his instructions to Timothy, is man- 
formed and man-made by her very origin; for Paul says to 
Timothy, Adam was first formed, then Eve from the man, and 
not the man from the woman. 

Of this communion of all things in marriage we still possess 
some feeble remnants, though miserable indeed they be when 
compared with what they were in their original state. For even 
now the wife, if she be but an honorable, modest, and godly 
woman, participates in all the cares, wishes, desires, purposes, 
duties, and actions of her husband. And it was for this end 
indeed that she was created in the beginning, and for this end 



JUNE NINETEENTH 219 



was called "woman," that she might differ in sex only from the 
father of the family, since she was taken from man. 

Although this name can apply in its strictest and fullest sense 
only to Eve, who, alone of all women, was created thus out of 
man, yet our Lord applies the whole sentence of Adam to all 
wives when he says that man and wife are one flesh. Although, 
therefore, the wife be not made of thy flesh and thy bones, yet, 
because she is thy wife, she is as much the mistress of the house, 
as thou art the master thereof, except that by the law of God, 
which was brought in after the fall, the woman is made subject 
to the man. That is the woman's punishment, as are many other 
troubles also which come short of the glories of paradise. Had 
the innocency continued, the government of the man and the 
woman would have been equal and the same. Now the sweat 
of the brow rests upon the man; and the wife is commanded to 
be subject to her husband. 



Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and 
shall cleave unto his wife. Gen. 2 : 24. 

This sentence of Adam is prophetic. For as yet there was no 
father or mother; nor consequently were there any children. 
Through the Holy Spirit Adam prophesies of that married life, 
which should be in the world, and predictively describes the 
separate dwelling of man and wife, and the separate domestic 
authorities and governments of the several families in all ages; 
that each family should have its own habitation, authority, and 
rule. Even heathen nations have discovered that there is noth- 
ing more appropriate for man, nor beneficial for kingdoms, 
than this oneness of the life of married persons. 

Christ applies these words of Adam as a common rule or law 



220 JUNE TWENTIETH 



for our marriages since the loss of original innocence. If Adam 
had remained in his original innocency, the children born to 
him would have married and, leaving the table and dwelling- 
place of their parents, would have had their own trees under 
which they would have lived separate from their parents. They 
would have come from time to time to their father Adam, sung 
a hymn, spoken gloriously of God, called upon him, and then 
returned to their own homes. 

Though all other things are now changed, yet this close bond 
between married persons still remains firm ; so that a man would 
leave his father and mother much sooner than he would leave 
his wife. Where we find the contrary, for married persons are 
found to leave and forsake each other, all this is not only con- 
trary to the present divine command by the mouth of Adam, 
but such things are awful signs of that horrible corruption, 
which has come upon man through sin. 

This "leaving father and mother," however, is not to be un- 
derstood as a command that the children of Adam, when mar- 
ried, should have nothing more to do with their parents. It 
only enjoins the children when married to have their own home. 
We often find that children are compelled to support their 
parents, when worn down with age. Had paradise and all its 
innocency continued, the state of life would have been incon- 
ceivably more exalted and blessed than our present fallen and 
sinful condition. Yet even then this same command would 
have been obeyed. The husband, through love of his wife-, 
would have chosen his homestead with her, and would have 
left his father and mother for that purpose. 

If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14: 15. 

Keep his Word or commandment — that is what the soul 
must do who loves Christ, who understands and appreciates what 



JUNE TWENTIETH 221 



he gets from Christ. No one is a Christian unless he keeps 
Christ's Word; and no one can keep it unless he first loves 
God. Where this love is not, all amounts to nothing, do as we 
will. If one were to take all the swords in the world in his 
hands, he would not bring a single heretic to the faith. The 
people may appear to accept the Word, but in their hearts there 
is no faith. Hence, he who wishes to be a true bishop arranges 
all his administrations to the end that he may win souls and 
develop a delight in God's Word and a love for it. 

How does one acquire love? The human heart is so false 
that it cannot love unless it first sees the benefit of loving. No 
man can bring this love into the heart. Therefore God gave 
us his Son, graciously poured out his greatest treasures and sunk 
and drowned all our sins and filth in the great ocean of his love, 
so that this great love and blessing must draw man to love and 
be ready to fulfil the divine commandments with a willing heart. 
In no other way can the heart love or have any love; it must 
be assured that it was first loved. Now man cannot do this; 
therefore Christ comes and takes the heart captive and says: 
Learn to know me. I am Christ, who placed myself in your 
misery to drown your sins in my righteousness. This knowledge 
softens your heart, so that you must turn to him. 

This loyalty to Christ's kingdom is now considered a simple 
thing by the presumptuous and inexperienced spirits who deem 
themselves so holy and so strong in the faith as to be able easily 
to do what they hear, and who think that the Word of God 
is something that is obeyed as soon as it is heard. But experience 
teaches how difficult it is to keep this Word, for the holy cross 
has been laid upon it. The Church upon earth must strive and 
contend with weakness, poverty, misery, fear, death, shame and 
disgrace, and our flesh and old nature prefer that which is easy 
and agreeable. But the Christian will love Christ, his Word 
and his kingdom more than all things of the earth. 



222 JUNE TWENTY-FIRST 

Hunt Gtomttg-ftrat 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the 
world giveth, give I unto you. John 14: 27. 

This is bidding them a friendly good-night. Christ was wil- 
ling and able to speak with his disciples in the most loving man- 
ner. I must away, he says, and cannot speak much more 
with you; let it be well with you. That is my last fare- 
well. Ye shall suffer no hurt, nor want because of my depar- 
ture. I will richly repay you, for ye shall have from me the 
best that you can wish, namely, that in my Father you have a 
merciful God, whose thoughts toward you are those of a father's 
heart and love. In me you shall have a good, faithful Saviour, 
who will not forsake you in any need and will defend you against 
the devil, the world, and all wickedness, and will in addition 
send you the Holy Spirit, who shall so rule your hearts that you 
find in me true comfort, peace, and joy. 

My peace is not given as the world gives peace. The world 
bases its peace only on transient things, as possessions, power, 
honor, friendship of men. When these are gone, then peace, 
confidence, and courage are gone. Though it were in the power 
of the world to give and preserve all these, yet it has not, nor 
can it have, true eternal peace, so that a heart enjoys God's 
favor and is certain of his grace and of everlasting life. But 
since this is not the world's peace, the holy cross is laid upon it ; 
measured by reason and by our feelings, it means no peace, but 
dissensions, anguish, fear, and trembling. Christ says, "In the 
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have 
overcome the world ;" this is to be your peace. 

Thus Christ has assured and satisfied his Church with peace 
that abides in the midst of tribulation and temptation. There- 
fore, when the heart is oppressed, in anguish and terrified, as 



JUNE TWENTY-SECOND 223 

if a fugitive before God, this peace must be fixed by faith in the 
Word of Christ, that it may say: I know that I have God's 
pledge and the witness of the Holy Spirit that he wants to be my 
Father and is not angry with me, but assures me of peace and 
all good through Christ, his Son. 



Suite ®wetttg-0?r0ttii 



For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth 
in pain together until now. Rom. 8 : 22. 

Paul uses forcible language here. Creation is aware, he says, 
not only of its future deliverance from the bondage of corrup- 
tion, but of its future grandeur. It hopes for the speedy coming 
of its glory, and waits with the eagerness of a maiden for the 
dance. Seeing the splendor reserved for itself, it groans and 
travails unceasingly. Similarly, we Christians groan and in- 
tensely desire to have done at once with the Turks, the Pope 
and the tyrannical world. Who would not weary of witness- 
ing the present knavery, ungodliness and blasphemy against 
Christ and his gospel, even as Lot wearied of the ungodliness 
he beheld in Sodom? Thus Paul says that creation groaneth 
and travaileth while waiting for the revelation and the glorious 
liberty of the children of God. 

He declares creation to be weary of present conditions of 
servitude, and as eager for liberation as a mother for deliverance 
in the hour of anguish. Truly it is with spiritual sight, with 
apostolic vision, that Paul discerns this fact in regard to crea- 
tion. He turns away from this world, oblivious to the joys and 
sufferings of earthly life, and boasts alone of the future, eternal 
life, unseen and unexperienced. Thus he administers real and 
effectual comfort to Christians, pointing them to a future life 
for themselves and all created things after this sinful life shall 
have an end. 



224 JUNE TWENTY-THIRD 

Therefore, believers in Christ are to be confident of eternal 
glory, and with sighs and groans to implore the Lord God to 
hasten the blessed day of the realization of their hopes. For so 
Christ has taught us to pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy king- 
dom come." Our faith is not to be exercised for the attainment 
of earthly riches ; we are not baptized unto the present life, nor 
do we receive the gospel as ministering to our temporal good; 
these things are to point us to yonder eternal life. God grant 
the speedy coming of the glad day of our redemption, when 
we shall realize all these blessings, of which we now hear and 
in which we believe through the Word. 

God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life. John 3: 16. 

With these words Jesus leads us directly into the Father's 
heart, that we may see and know that it was the great and won- 
derful counsel of God, resolved from eternity, that we should 
receive help through his Son. All had to be fulfilled, that God's 
truth might stand, even as he had promised in the Scriptures. 
It is thus apparent that God does not intend to cast us out, and 
to condemn us on account of our sins, but that he wills that we 
should attain to eternal grace and life for the sake of the 
Saviour and Mediator, if we fear his wrath on account of our 
sins, and keep in mind this eternal divine life. 

The Holy Spirit teaches everywhere that we do not possess 
the Father except through a mediator, and he will not allow 
us to approach the Father without one. Let us thank the Father 
for ordering it as he has and placing between us one who is 
God and equal with God, and also man, on a level with man; 
for we are human and he is God. Where God and man oppose 



JUNE TWENTY-FOURTH 225 

each other, man meets with instant destruction, for he cannot 
stand against God. God has intervened by placing as mediatoi 
one who is alike true God and true man. Through him we are 
to come to the Father; with the price we can pay nothing is 
accomplished. 

If there were another way to heaven, Jesus would doubtless 
have made it known to us. Therefore let us cling to the words, 
firmly pilot our hearts along this way and keep within it. If 
I had the merits of all the saints, the sanctity and purity of all 
virgins, and the piety of St. Peter besides, still I would not give 
a fig for all I call my own. I must have another foundation on 
which to build, namely, the words : God has given his Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him, whom the Father sent out of love, 
shall be saved. Let us fearlessly plant ourselves on these words, 
which neither Satan, hell, nor death can overthrow. Come 
what will, let us say : Here is God's Word ; that is my rock and 
anchor; to that I cling and that abides; and where that abides, 
there I abide also. God cannot lie. 

Sun? Stoentg-fnurtfj 

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that 
Light. John 1 : 8. 

O, what necessary repetition! First of all to show that this 
Light is not simply a man, but God himself; for the evangelist 
greatly desires to preach the divinity of Christ in all his words. 
If John, the great saint, be not that Light, but only a witness 
of it, then this Light must be something far different from 
everything that is holy, whether it be man or angel. If holiness 
could make such a light, it would have made one of John. In 
the second place, such a repetition is necessary to resist wicked 
preachers, who do not bear witness of Christ, the Light, but 
of themselves. All who preach the doctrines of men make man 

Devotional Readings 15 



226 JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH 

the light, lead men away from God to themselves, and set them- 
selves up as the true Light, as the pope and his followers have 
done. He is, therefore, the Antichrist, that is, he is against 
Christ, the true Light. 

This gospel text desires only to testify of Christ and lead men 
to him, who is the true Light, which lighteth every man coming 
into the world. Therefore these words, "He was not the 
Light," are truly worthy to be capitalized and to be well re- 
membered against the men who set themselves up as the light 
and give to men doctrines and laws of their own fabrication. 
They pretend to enlighten men, but lead them with themselves 
into the depths of hell; for they do not teach faith and are not 
willing to teach it. Who does not preach the gospel to you, 
him reject and refuse to hear. But he preaches the gospel who 
teaches you to believe and trust in Christ, the eternal Light. 
Therefore beware of everything told you which does not agree 
with the gospel, as for example eating and drinking, which are 
necessary for your body, but by no means to your salvation. 
For this purpose nothing is necessary or of use to you except 
this Light. 

O, these abominable doctrines of men, which are now so 
prevalent and which have almost banished this Light! They 
all wish to be this Light themselves, but not to be witnesses of 
it. They advocate their own fancies, but are silent about this 
Light, or teach it in a way so as to preach themselves along 
with it. This is worse than to be entirely silent. 

3Jun? JHuirntg-fiftlj 

This is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that 
we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked 
one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he himf Be- 
cause his own works were evil, and his brother s righteous. I 
John 3: II, 12. 



JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH 227 

What offense had godly Abel committed against his brother 
to be so hated? He had regarded that brother as the first-born, 
had done him all honor and loved him as became a brother. 
He was easily satisfied, desiring simply the grace of God. He 
prayed for the future seed, for the salvation and happiness of 
his parents, his brother and the entire human race. How could 
Cain be so unmerciful and inhuman to murder his own flesh 
and blood ? 

The answer is found in the fact that the devil had filled 
Cain's heart with pride and vanity over his birthright. He con- 
sidered himself a man of distinction, whilst his brother was 
nothing. His heart is devoid of true brotherly love. He can- 
not endure God's manifest favor toward his brother, and will 
not be moved by the injunction to humble himself and seek 
God's grace. Anger and envy possess him so that he cannot 
tolerate his brother alive. He becomes a murderer, and then 
goes his way as if he had done right. This is what John means 
when he says that Cain had no other cause for his crime than 
that his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 

Similarly that obedient daughter of Saint Cain, the world, 
hates the Christians; and for no other reason than the latter's 
love and goodness of heart. In this man Cain is pictured the 
world in its true characteristic colors; in him its true spirit 
stands reflected. On the other hand that poor, abject Abel well 
represents the obscure little brotherhood, the Church of Christ. 
She must yield to Cain, the lord, the distinction of being every- 
thing before God. He feels important in his imagined dignity 
and thinks that God cannot but favor and accept his offering 
rather than that of his brother. 

Meanwhile pious Abel goes his way, meekly suffering his 
brother's contempt. He yields him the honor and beholds no 
consolation for himself aside from the pure mercy and goodness 
of God. He believes in God and in such faith he performs his 
sacrifice as a confession of his gratitude. 



228 JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH 

Sum 3tot?tttg-0txtlj 

Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed, 
for in the image of God made he man. Gen. 9 : 6. 

When God saw that the world was growing worse and worse, 
he finally enforced punishment against the wicked world by the 
flood. Here, however, God bestows a share of his authority 
upon man, giving him the power of life and death, that thus 
he may be the avenger of bloodshed. Whosoever takes life 
without due warrant, him God subjects not only to his own 
judgment, but also to the sword of man. But men have no 
authority to slay except where guilt is apparent and crime is 
proven. Hence courts have been established and a definite meth- 
od of proceeding instituted for the purpose of investigating and 
proving the crime before the sentence of death is passed. 

The importance of this text and its claim to attention consists 
in the fact that it records the establishment of civil authority 
by God with the sword as the sign of power, in order that 
licence may be curbed and anger and other sins prevented 
from growing beyond all bounds. God foresaw that wicked- 
ness would ever flourish, and established this external remedy 
to prevent the infinite spread of license. By this safeguard God 
protects life and property. We find here no less a proof of 
God's great love toward man than his promise that the flood 
shall never rage again. 

Man is a noble creature, who, unlike other living beings, has 
been fashioned according to the image of God. While it is true 
that he has lost this image through sin, it is capable of being 
restored through the Word and the Holy Spirit. This image 
God desires us to revere in each other; he forbids us to shed 
blood by the exercise of sheer force. But the life of him who 
refuses to respect this image of God in man, and gives way to 



JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH 229 

anger and provocation, is surrendered to civil authority by God, 
in that God commands that also his blood shall be shed. 

Thus the passage under consideration teaches the establish- 
ment of civil authority in the world, which did not exist before 
the flood, by which they who have the sword are commanded 
to use it against those who have shed blood. Therefore it is 
for us to render obedience to the divine order and to endure it, 
so that we are not disobedient to the will of God at the very 
point where we derive benefit in so many ways. 



31tm? Qfatttttjj-Btwtttlf 



Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, 
that he may exalt you in due time. I Pet. 5 : 6. 

The heart, through knowledge of its sin, becomes terrified in 
the presence of God's anger and anxiously seeks grace. Thus 
a humility is born, not merely external and before men, but of 
the heart and of God, from fear of God and knowledge of one's 
own unworthiness and weakness. He who fears God and trem- 
bles at his word will surely not boast against any one. He will 
even manifest a gentle spirit toward his enemies. Therefore 
he finds favor with God and men. 

The cause of this shall be "the mighty hand of God." God's 
hand is powerful and mighty in a twofold manner. It dashes 
down and overthrows the proud and self-secure, however hard 
and iron-like their heads and hearts may be. They must lan- 
guish in dust and ashes; must lie despondent and desperate in 
the anguish and torments of hell, if he touch them but a little 
with the terrors of his anger. These are experiences through 
which the saints also pass, and concerning whose severity they 
lament. 

In the second place God's hand is mighty to raise, to comfort 
and strengthen the humble and fearful, and to exalt them. Those 



230 J UNE TWENTY-EIGHTH 

who have been cast down in terror should not despair, or flee 
before God, but rise again and be comforted in God. God 
wishes to have it preached and published that he never lays his 
hand upon us in order that we may perish and be damned. But 
he must pursue this course to lead us to repentance, else we 
would never inquire about his Word and will. If we seek his 
grace, he is ready to help us up again, to grant us forgiveness 
of sins, the Holy Spirit and eternal life. 

So God will also "exalt you in due time." Though his help 
be delayed, and the humble and suffering seem to lie oppressed 
all too long under his hand anS to languish, let them hold to 
the promise Paul has given: God "will not suffer you to be 
tempted above that ye are able," but will hear your cry, and 
will help at the proper time ; and thus let us be comforted. God 
has already stretched forth his mighty hand, both to cast down 
the godless and to exalt the humble. 



3lmt? Gtoiwty-nglfifj 



God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; 
but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17. 

With these words one can apprehend God as he is to be appre- 
hended. You do not seek him ; he rather seeks you and pictures 
his Son before you as a Saviour and not as a judge. It is a 
common practice to represent the gracious Saviour as a judge, 
and from this practice has sprung a dependence upon the merits 
of saints, causing us to turn away from Christ and take refuge 
in the saints. We fancy that the saints are more gracious and 
more kindly disposed to us than even God himself. Therefore, 
one says, St. Peter is my apostle; another says, St. Paul is my 
patron ; and so on. But God cannot permit this ; the glory must 
belong to him. My conscience must rest upon the foundation, 



JUNE TWENTY-NINTH 23 1 

the eternal, all-knowing truth. God alone is the truth, and the 
conscience must rest upon him and nothing else. 

If I picture Christ as a judge, I shall fear him. The result 
will be that soon I am constrained before him, grow afraid of 
him and then hate him, and my heart becomes corrupt and blas- 
phemous. But when I know him as the gospel pictures him, 
and long for him as the best friend that my heart can choose, 
then love soon follows. No friend can do as much for us as 
he has done. I forget father and mother, I have a strong con- 
fidence in him. But if one simply fears him, one falls back on 
his good works and does not recognize Christ as Mediator, 
thinking to run into the presence of God without him. In this 
way he works his own ruin. 

Learn then from this lesson to know Christ aright and to 
hold him between yourself and the Father ; let him be the sacri- 
fice alone, which shall secure heaven and salvation. When this 
passage comes to mind in the hour of death, when the test comes, 
what comfort to meditate on its message — how the Lord came 
not to condemn the world, but to save it. He who believes can- 
not be lost, but will be saved, since it is true that naught ac- 
complishes our salvation except Christ alone, who came to be 
our Saviour. Thus it follows that where faith is, there sin 
does no harm; for faith makes us Christ's. 



3Jmt? Qfaitttty-nttttlj 



He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, 
and the sheep follow him. John 10: 3, 4. 

This leading them out is Christian liberty. They are now free ; 
no longer penned up and captive under anxious constraint and 
fear of the law and of divine judgment, but happily pastured 
and nourished in Christ's sweet kingdom of grace. This liberty 



232 JUNE TWENTY-NINTH 

does not mean that the sheep, now without a fold and without 
a keeper, may run from their shepherd unrestrained into error; 
or that Christians can do whatsover the flesh lusteth. It means 
that now free from the terror of wolves, thieves, and murderers, 
they may live with their dear shepherd, in love and pleasure fol- 
lowing where he leads and guides them; because they know 
that he defends and lovingly oversees them so that the law dare 
no longer accuse and condemn them, even though they are weak 
as to the flesh and have not perfectly fulfilled the law. For 
the Lord, God's Son, is the shepherd, who takes the sheep under 
his grace, his shelter and protection; he who will accuse or 
condemn the sheep must first accuse or condemn the Lord him- 
self. 

This is the Christian's life under their shepherd. Christ ever 
rules, leads and guides them. They remain with him in the 
liberty of faith, wherein they walk, following his example in 
obedience and good works. Christ's kingdom was not instituted 
that we might indulge the lusts of our flesh; but that we, re- 
leased from the captivity of the law, under which we could not 
in sincerity do anything good, follow Christ cheerfully and with 
a good conscience in our lives and works. Each responds as 
Christ calls him, a special instrument for Christ's use. 

To follow Christ means that our whole life and all our works 
be in the faith of Christ — a constant exercise of faith, wherein 
we are recognized and are assured that because of this dear 
shepherd we have favor with God. Thus our works and lives, 
weak and imperfect in obedience as they are, are also under the 
wings of the mother hen, and are pleasing to God because of 
the shepherd. In this confidence we now begin to be obedient, 
to call upon him in our temptations and needs, confess his Word, 
and serve our neighbors. To this end a Christian constantly 
needs the Word of Christ; he needs to learn from it and to 
exercise himself in it. 



JUNE THIRTIETH 233 



ilmte SHjtrttrttj 



For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, 
but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. 
Rom. 8: 20. 

Paul tells us the whole creation groans and travails with us, 
ungodly; "subject to vanity," he phrases it. The blessed sun, 
most glorious of created things, serves the small minority of the 
godly. Where it shines on one godly man it must shine on 
thousands of knaves, enemies of God, blasphemers, persecutors, 
murderers, robbers, thieves, adulterers, with whom the world 
is filled. To these it must minister in all their ungodliness and 
wickedness, permitting its pure and glorious rays to benefit the 
most unworthy, most shameful and abandoned profligates. This 
subjection is truly painful, and were the sun a rational creature, 
obeying its own volition rather than the decree of the Lord who 
has subjected it to vanity against its will, it might deny every 
one of these wicked wretches even the least ray of light; that 
it is compelled to minister to them is its cross and pain, by 
reason of which it sighs and groans. 

Paus tells us the whole creation groans and travails with us, 
as if desiring relief from anguish. The heavenly planets would 
gladly be free from serving; the earth would readily become 
unfruitful; all waters would voluntarily sink from sight and 
deny the wicked world a draught; the sheep would prefer to 
produce thorns for the ungodly instead of wool ; the cow would 
rather yield them poison than milk. But they must perform 
their appointed work, Paul says, because of him who has sub- 
jected them in hope. God will finally answer the cry of crea- 
tion; he has already determined that after the six thousand 
years of its existence now past, the world shall have its evening 
and end. 



234 JULY FIRST 



Since man has fallen in sin, we all — the whole creation — 
must suffer the consequence and be subject to vanity. All cre- 
ated things must be under the power of a condemned world, 
and compelled to serve with all their energies until God shall 
overthrow the entire world and for the elects' sake purify again 
and renew the creature. 



Julg Sftrat 

Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for 1 
tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those 
things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those 
things which ye hear and have not heard them. Luke io: 23, 24. 

This hearing and seeing must be understood as simply ex- 
ternal, namely, that they saw Christ, heard his preaching, and 
witnessed the miracles which he performed. Certainly the Jews 
also beheld these things with their natural eyes, and some of 
them indeed experienced them in part at least in their hearts ; 
but in fact they did not recognize him as the Christ, like the 
apostles and like Peter, who, representing all the others, said, 
"Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." Some of the 
Jews, indeed, like the apostles, recognized him as the Christ, but 
they were few. 

In spirit, however, many prophets and kings saw Christ, as 
he himself says to the Jews concerning Abraham, "Your father 
Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad." 
The Jews thought he spoke of natural seeing, but he spoke of 
spiritual sight, as all pious hearts saw him before he was born, 
and still see him. If Abraham saw him, doubtless many proph- 
ets in whom the Holy Ghost dwells saw him; and though this 
seeing made the holy fathers and prophets blessed, still they had 
a heartfelt desire to behold Christ the Lord in the flesh, as is 
intimated time and again in the prophets. 



JULY SECOND 235 



Therefore the Lord here says to his disciples, who saw both 
with their natural and spiritual eyes, ''Blessed are the eyes which 
see the things that ye see," as though we would say, This is a 
blessed time, an acceptable year, a special season of grace. That 
which is now at hand is so precious that the eyes which see it 
are truly called blessed. In the past ages the gospel was never 
preached so publicly and clearly unto all men as at present. The 
Holy Spirit was not yet publicly poured out, but Christ had 
begun the work of the Holy Spirit, and afterwards the apostles 
continued it in great earnestness. Therefore he calls all those 
blessed who hear and see this grace in Christ. 



3JuIq §>?timb 



Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom. 
5 : 20. 

When we preach that grace is bestowed upon us and the for- 
giveness of sins without any merit on our part, people are dis- 
posed to regard themselves as free from obligation and will do 
no works except those to which their own desires prompt them. 
This was Paul's experience when he so strongly commended 
the grace of Christ and its consolation. The rude crowd cried : 
Oh, is it true that great grace follows upon great sin? In that 
case we will cheerfully load ourselves with sin so that we may 
receive the greater grace. 

Such argument Paul refutes. He says : It is not the intention 
of the gospel to teach sin or to allow it, but the very opposite — 
how we may escape from sin and from the awful wrath of God 
which it incurs. Paul does not teach that grace is acquired 
through sin, nor that sin brings grace, but on the contrary he 
says: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all 
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Escape is not effected 



236 JULY THIRD 



by any doings of our own, but by the fact that God, out of pure 
grace, forgives us our sins for his Son's sake; for in us God 
finds nothing but sin and condemnation. 

But because the sins of men which are taken away are so 
grievous and numerous, the grace which drowns and destroys 
them must be mighty and abundant also. Where there is great 
thirst, a great draft is needed to quench it. Where there is a 
mighty conflagration, powerful streams of water are necessary 
to extinguish it. In cases of severe illness, strong medicine is 
essential to a cure. But these facts do not give us authority 
to say: Let us cheerfully drink to satiety that we may become 
more thirsty for good wine; or, let us injure ourselves and make 
ourselves ill that medicine may do us more. good. Still less does 
it follow that we may heap up and multiply sins for the purpose 
of receiving more abundant grace. Grace does not give license 
to sin, but where there are many and great sins, there also reigns 
great, abundant and rich grace. 

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried 
with him by baptism into death. Rom. 6: 3, 4. 

The apostle speaks in his own Pauline style concerning the 
power of baptism, which derives its efficacy from the death of 
Christ. By his death he has paid for and taken away our sins ; 
his death has been an actual strangling and putting to death of 
sin; it no longer has dominion over him. Through his death 
we have obtained forgiveness of sins ; that sin may not condemn 
us, we die unto sin through that power which Christ — because 
we are baptized into him — imparts to and works in us. 

He further declares that we are not only baptized into his 
death, but, by the same baptism, we are buried with him 



JULY FOURTH 237 



into death; for in his death he took our sins with him into 
the grave, buying them completely and leaving them there. 
To those who through baptism are in Christ, sin is completely 
destroyed and buried, and shall remain so; but we, through his 
resurrection — which, by faith, gives us the victory over sin and 
death and bestows upon us everlasting righteousness and life — 
should henceforth walk in newness of life. 

Having these things through baptism, we dare no longer obey 
— live unto — the sin which still dwells in our flesh and blood 
in this life; we must daily strangle it so that it may have no 
power, nor life in us if we desire to be found in the estate and 
life of Christ. The fact that Christ himself had to die for sin 
is evidence of the severe wrath of God against sin. Sin had to 
be put to death and laid away in the grave in the body of Christ. 
Thereby God shows us that he will not countenance sin in us, 
but has given us Christ and baptism for the purpose of putting 
to death and burying sin in our bodies. 

Thus Christ was buried that he might, through forgiveness, 
cover up and destroy our sin, whether actually committed or 
inherent in us. He was buried that he might, through the Holy 
Spirit, mortify this flesh and blood with its inherent sinful lusts ; 
they must no longer have dominion over us, but must be subject 
to the Spirit until we are utterly free from them. 



3Jul£ 3faurtf? 



Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar s, 
and unto God the things that are God's. Matt. 22: 21. 

We must keep this truth before our eyes; it is our rule of 
conduct toward the two kingdoms, God's and Caesar's, so as to 
give to each the honor due him. In both there are many who 
abuse the charge and position committed to them, especially to- 
ward Christians. We must surfer this, but at the same time 



238 JULY FOURTH 



we maintain our right to punish them by word of mouth, telling 
them the truth and hurling back the accusations heaped upon us. 
In so doing we satisfy justice and fulfil our duty; the rest we 
commit to God. 

The teaching of Christ is the doctrine we insist on, that the 
two powers, God's and Caesar's, or spiritual and temporal king- 
doms, must be kept apart, as Christ does here in clear and brief 
declaration, making not only a distinction, but also finely illus- 
trating how each is to be considered and administered. It is 
ordained of God that subjects shall give to their rulers what 
they need; when he commands them to give, it is implied that 
these may take; and where we are to give what is due, there 
we infer that we owe them something, so that the language 
might be "return" rather than simply "render" or "give." This 
is something for subjects under civil authority. 

On the other hand, there are restrictions placed upon rulers 
that they govern in the same spirit, and not take from their 
subjects what is not due them; that they remember to give and 
do also what they are in duty bound to do by virtue of their 
presiding over countries and nations, so that they may grow and 
prosper. That is why rulers are elevated by God to their 
respective positions of honor, not that they hold their positions 
as extortioners, doing what they like. 

If this were emphasized it would be found that the world is 
full of real thieves and rogues, rulers as well as subjects, and 
the number would indeed be small, from the highest to the 
lowest, who obey and do what is right. Subjects are most 
generally disposed to cheat their ruler and appropriate to their 
own use what is his, to say nothing of giving cheerfully. Princes 
and officeholders wish to have the name of being Christians, 
yet they do only what suits them and would gladly usurp the 
places of their superiors. 



JULY FIFTH 239 



Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but he filled with 
the Spirit. Eph. 5: 18. 

God having in his infinite goodness so richly shed upon us in 
these latter times the gospel of light, we ought in honor and 
gratitude to him try to reform ourselves in the matter of intem- 
perance. We should fear lest through this evil, besides com- 
mitting other sins, we draw upon us the wrath and punishment 
of God. For naught else can result from the pernicious life of 
intemperance but false security and contempt of God. Indi- 
viduals continually dead in drunkenness, buried in excesses, liv- 
ing like swine, cannot fear God, cannot be occupied with divine 
things. Such are the excesses now to be seen in the courts of 
princes — banqueting and drinking — that one would think 
they meant to devour the resources of the country in a single 
hour. Lords, princes, and noblemen — the entire country — 
are ruined, reduced to beggary, for the reason that God's gifts 
are so inhumanly wasted and destroyed. 

The evil of drunkenness has, alas, gained such ascendancy as 
to be past restraint unless the Word of God may exert some 
controlling influence among the few, the individuals who are 
still human and who would be Christians. It is my opinion 
that if God does not sometime check the vice by a special judg- 
ment, even women and children will become inebriate, and when 
the last day arrives no Christian will be found, but all souls 
will descend drunken into the abyss of hell. Let all who desire 
to be Christians know that it is incumbent upon them to mani- 
fest the virtue of temperance; that drunken sots have no place 
among Christians, and cannot be saved until they amend their 
ways, until they reform from their evil habits. 

Just as idolatry and adultery are sins excluding from heaven, 
so drunkenness is a sin which bars from the blessings of bap- 



24-0 JULY SIXTH 



tism, from remission of sins, faith in Christ, and personal salva- 
tion. Hence, if you would be a Christian and be saved, you 
must lead a sober and temperate life. 

O God, how shameless and ungrateful we are, we so highly 
blessed of God in having his Word and in being liberated from 
the tyranny of the pope, who desired our sweat and blood — 
how ungrateful in the face of these things not to amend our lives 
in some measure in honor of the gospel, and in praise and grati- 
tude to God. 



And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, 
when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his 
brother, and slew him. Gen. 4: 8. 

Cain is the image and picture of all hypocrites and murder- 
ers, who kill under the show of godliness. Cain, possessed by 
Satan, hides his wrath, waiting the opportunity to slay his 
brother Abel; meanwhile he converses with him, as a brother 
beloved, that he might the sooner lay his hands on him unawares. 
Let us learn to know a Cain and to beware when he speaks 
kindly as a brother to brother. It is in this way that our ad- 
versaries talk with us in our day, while they pretend a desire 
for concord, and seek to bring about doctrinal harmony. 

Our ministry at the present day deserves no blame. We 
teach, we exhort, we entreat, we rebuke, we turn ourselves 
every way, that we may recall the multitude from their self- 
security to the fear of God. But the world, like an untamed 
beast, goes on and follows not the Word, but its own lusts, 
which it tries to smooth over with a show of uprightness. The 
prophets and apostles are before us as examples, and our own 
experience is also instructive. 

Learn then what a hypocrite is, namely, one who lays claim 



JULY SEVENTH 24I 



to the worship of God and to charity, and at the same time 
destroys the worship of God and kills his brother. All this 
semblance of good will is only intended to bring about better 
opportunities of doing harm. Light is cast here upon the bond- 
age of Satan by which our nature, entangled in sins, is oppressed. 
Hence Paul speaks of the "children of wrath" and declares that 
such are taken captive by Satan. For nature, destitute of the 
Holy Spirit, is impelled by the same evil spirit which impelled 
wicked Cain. If, however, there were in any one those ample 
powers, or that free will, by which a man might defend himself 
against the assaults of Satan, these gifts would most assuredly 
have existed in Cain, to whom belonged the birthright and the 
promise of the blessed seed. All men are in that very same 
condition; unless our nature be helped by the Spirit of God, it 
cannot maintain itself. 



3lulg §>?wntlj 



No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent 
me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 
6: 44. 

He must surely perish whom the Father does not draw. Thus 
it is decreed, that whoever does not come to this Son must be 
condemned forever. The Son is given us only to the end that 
he may save us; besides him, nothing saves us either in heaven 
or on earth. If he does not help us, nothing will. If the Father 
does not come first and draw men, they must forever perish. 
The Father must lay the first stone of the foundation in us, 
else we will never do anything. This is accomplished in the 
following way : 

God sends his preachers, whom he has taught to preach to us 
his will. First he instructs us that our entire lives and char- 
acters, however holy and beautiful they may be, are nothing 

Devotional Readings 16 



242 JULY EIGHTH 



before him; this is called a preaching of the law. Then he 
offers us grace; he tells us that he will not utterly condemn 
and reject us, but makes us heirs of his kingdom, lords over all 
that is in heaven and upon earth. This is called preaching grace", 
or the gospel. But God is the origin of all; God first sends 
the preachers and constrains them to preach. Where the pure 
and plain Word of God goes, it breaks to pieces everything 
that is exalted of man, it makes valleys of all their mountains, 
and all their hills it makes low. Every heart that hears this 
Word must lose faith in itself, else it will not be able to come 
to Christ. God's works do nothing but destroy and make alive, 
condemn and administer salvation. 

Hence, a person who is thus smitten in his heart by God to 
confess that he is one who must be condemned on account of 
his sins, is like the righteous man whom with the words of this 
gospel God first wounds, and because of that wound fixes upon 
him the band of his divine grace, by which he draws him, so 
that he must seek help and counsel for his soul. Before he 
could not obtain any help or counsel from God, nor did he ever 
desire it ; but now he finds the first comfort and promise of God. 
From such promise he will ever continue to gain courage as 
long as he lives and will ever win greater and greater confidence 
in God. 

3fulU lEtgljtlj 

How often would I have gathered thy children together, even 
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would 
not! Matt. 23 : 27. 

The Lord has given us here a lovely picture and parable of 
what he does for the sake of faith and believers, so that I do 
not know of a more beautiful passage in all the Scriptures. The 
Lord here emphasizes his good will and favor to the Jews and 
says he would gladly be their mother hen, had they wished to 



JULY EIGHTH 243 



be his little chickens. O man ! In this picture you will see 
how you are to conduct yourself towards Christ, and to what 
end he is to benefit you, how you should make use of him and 
enjoy him. 

It is certain that our souls are the chickens, and Satan and 
wicked spirits are the buzzards in the air, with only this excep- 
tion that we are not as wise as the chickens which flee to the 
hen ; while the spirits of Satan are more subtle to rob us of our 
souls than the buzzards are to steal the chickens. Faith, if it 
is true faith, is of such a nature that it does not rely upon itself, 
but holds to Christ, and takes refuge under his righteousness; 
he lets this righteousness be its shield and protection, just like 
the little chicken never trusts in its own efforts, but takes refuge 
under the body and wings of the hen. 

It is not sufficient for one who is to stand before the judg- 
ment of God to say, I believe and have grace; for all that is 
within him is not able to protect him; but he proffers to this 
judgment Christ's righteousness which he permits to plead for 
him at the judgment seat of God. Under this righteousness he 
creeps, crouches and stoops, he confides in it and believes with- 
out doubt that he will be sustained by that same faith, not for 
his sake, nor for the sake of such faith, but for the sake of 
Christ and his righteousness under which he takes refuge. A 
faith that does not do this is not true faith. Thus also the 
Psalmist says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most 
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He is 
my refuge and my fortress. He shall cover thee with his feath- 
ers, and under his wings shalt thou trust." 



244 JULY NINTH 



itolg Ntttttj 

Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under 
grace? God forbid. Rom. 6: 15. 

When we preach the forgiveness of sins by pure grace without 
any merit of man, the perversity of the world claims that we 
either forbid good works, or else try to draw the conclusion 
that man may continue to live in sin and follow his own pleas- 
ure; the fact is, that people may be induced to do good works 
by our teaching to the praise, honor and glory of God. Our 
teaching, rightly apprehended, does not lead to pride and vice, 
but to humility and obedience. 

In matters of temporal government, whether domestic or 
civil, it is understood that he who asks for pardon confesses 
himself guilty, acknowledges his error and promises to reform 
and transgress no more. When the judge extends mercy and 
pardon to the thief deserving the gallows, the law is canceled 
by grace. But though the law is indeed canceled for him and 
grace delivers him from the rope and the sword, life is not 
granted him that he may continue to steal and murder; he is 
rather supposed to become honest and virtuous. If he does not, 
the law will again overtake him and punish him as he deserves. 

Every one can readily comprehend this principle in temporal 
things ; no one is so stupid as to tolerate the idea of grace being 
granted to extend opportunity to do wrong. It is only the gos- 
pel doctrine concerning God's grace and the forgiveness of sin 
that must suffer the slanderous misrepresentation that makes it 
abolish good works or give occasion for sin. We are told that 
God, in his unfathomable grace, has canceled the sentence of 
eternal death and hell-fire which, according to the law and 
divine judgment, we deserved, and has given us instead the free- 
dom of life eternal; thus our life is purely of grace. Certainly 



JULY TENTH 245 



we are not pardoned that we may live as before when, under 
condemnation and wrath, we incurred death. We are to conduct 
ourselves as men made alive and saved, that we fall not from 
grace and pass again under judgment and the sentence of eternal 
death. 



ilulg Sfctttl? 



/ am that bread of life . . . This is the bread which cometh 
down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. 
John 6: 48, 50. 

In these words the soul finds a well prepared table, at which 
it satisfies all hunger; for it knows of a certainty that he who 
speaks cannot lie. Therefore the soul falls upon the Word, 
clings to it, trusts in it, and builds its dwelling place in the 
strength of this well-prepared table. The living bread of which 
the Lord here speaks, is Christ himself. If in our hearts we lay 
hold of only a morsel of this bread, we shall have forever enough 
and can never be separated from God. The partaking of this 
bread is nothing but faith in Christ our Lord. He who eats of 
this food lives forever. 

Notice that the Lord approaches us so lovingly and graciously, 
and offers himself to us in such gentle words that it should in 
all reason move the heart to believe on him ; to believe that this 
bread, his flesh and blood, born of the Virgin Mary, was given 
because he had to pay the penalty of death and suffer in our 
stead the torments of hell, and besides suffer the guilt of sins 
he never committed, as if they were his own. This he did wil- 
lingly and received us as brethren and sisters. If we believe this 
we do the will of the heavenly Father, which is nothing else than 
that we believe on the Son. 

Therefore a Christian life is a life of bliss and joy. Christ's 
yoke is easy and sweet. If we rightly appropriated the words 



246 JULY ELEVENTH 



of Christ, they would be of much greater comfort to us. But 
these words are not to be misconstrued and made to refer to the 
sacrament of the altar. There is not a letter of it that refers 
to the Lord's Supper. The whole chapter from which the pas- 
sage is taken speaks of nothing but the spiritual food, namely, 
faith. The sacrament of the altar is a testament and confirma- 
tion of this true supper, with which we should strengthen our 
faith and be assured that this body and this blood, which we 
receive in the sacrament, has rescued us from sin and death and 
all misery. It is now evident that whoever has faith in this 
bread of heaven, of which he here speaks, has already done the 
will of God and eaten of the heavenly manna. 



Sfttljj lUmtttf; 



Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these 
dumb idols, even as ye were led. 1 Cor. 12: 2. 

Saint Augustine tells us that the city of Rome alone had more 
than four hundred gods, and that it erected a church for all the 
gods of the world — the Pantheon. Paul reminds the Corin- 
thians of their manner of life before they became Christians, for 
he would have them pause to think that their gifts, past and 
present, are not of their own procuring, nor are any gifts be- 
stowed upon them because of merit on their part. Recall, he 
would say, your manner of life before you came to Christ. What 
were you? Heathen in darkness, having no knowledge of God, 
but suffering yourselves blindly to be led by any one who would 
say aught to you of God. All your devotion was but a discord- 
ant worship. Each one — the child in the cradle, the infant 
at the mother's breast — must have his own idol. These super- 
stitions you accepted as you were taught; you followed after 
them, praying and sacrificing to them, setting your hearts upon 



JULY TWELFTH 247 



dumb idols which could not teach nor advise you, could not 
comfort, relieve nor help you. 

But now you have turned from that manifold idolatry to the 
one true worship and have been enlightened by God's Word. 
More than that, great and glorious gifts have been bestowed 
upon you in Christ, as the discerning of the Scriptures, diversity 
of tongues, power to work miracles — things impossible to the 
world. It is unmistakably evident that you embrace the true 
God, who does not, like dumb idols, leave you to wander in the 
error of your speculations, uncounseled by the Word; a living 
God, who speaks to you that you may know what to expect from 
him, and works among you publicly and visibly. Therefore it 
is not for you to make divisions among 3'ourselves after the man- 
ner of the heathen, where one runs to this idol and another to 
that, each claiming superiority for his own. Knowing that you 
all embrace the one true God and his Word, you are to hold to- 
gether in one faith and one mind, not disagreeing as if you had 
a variety of gods, of faiths, of baptisms, spirits and salvations. 

Verily , verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 
John 3 : 5. 

How a man is born again may easily be told in words. When, 
however, it is a matter of experience, as it was with Nicodemus, 
it is a hard matter to understand and it requires effort to attain 
the experience. To persevere in this, when it becomes a matter 
of experience and when we are really tested, requires pains and 
labor. 

Now the beginning of this birth is in baptism. The water is 
baptism, the Spirit is that grace which is given to us in baptism. 
The result of this birth is clearly seen in the hour of death or 



248 JULY THIRTEENTH 



in times of test by poverty and temptation. He who is born of 
the flesh fights to defend himself, looks hither and thither, em- 
ploys his reason to make his living. But he who is born anew 
reasons thus : I am in God's hands who has preserved and nour- 
ished me before in a wonderful manner; he will also feed and 
preserve me in the future and save me from all sorrow and mis- 
fortune. 

When we are about to die we feel that we must depart and 
we know not whither ; the house of shelter is not ready and we 
know not whether it will be white or black. Where there is 
flesh and blood there is still the old Adam, who knows not 
whither he shall go, nor on what he shall rest his soul. There is 
anxiety and misery in the nature of a real hell ; for the torments 
of hell are nothing but fear, terror and despair. But if I believe 
in God and am born anew, I close my eyes and do not grope 
about. I am willing that the condition of the soul be changed 
entirely. I think: O God, my soul is in thy hands; thou hast 
preserved it during my life and I have never known where thou 
hast put it, neither do I wish to know to which place thou wilt 
assign it. I only know that it is in thy hands and thou wilt 
take care of it. Thus we must abandon the life of the flesh and 
enter into a new life, being dead to the old. There must be a 
real change and an entire transformation of nature ; the state of 
nature and feeling must be completely overthrown. 

3tolg GtyirteMitlj 

No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down 
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. John 
3: 13. 

It is thus that Christ pictures his own person. He is the prom- 
ised Saviour come from heaven ; he is the true Son of God from 
eternity. If he is come from heaven he must have been with 



JULY THIRTEENTH 249 



God from eternity. He descended from heaven again, but he 
has taken upon himself the nature of man and has dwelt among 
us on earth. For this reason he here calls himself the Son of 
man, that is, actual man, having flesh and blood like we have. 
He divested himself of the form of God, and went about in 
the form of a servant, enduring suffering and death, until such 
time as he was delivered from this state and was exalted again 
and seated at the right hand of God, having now been made 
Lord over death and hell and all elements of his human nature. 
All this he has manifested by his visible ascension when he was 
taken up in the clouds before the eyes of his disciples. 

Of these things the Pharisees were in utter ignorance. They 
could not at all conceive that their Messiah had to be sent from 
heaven that he might redeem and reconcile all the world and 
particularly his own Jewish people. Much less did they un- 
derstand that he had to die on the cross, that he must be cruci- 
fied and become a sacrifice for their sins and the sins of the 
world. The reason was because they failed to recognize that 
the whole nature of man in the sight of God merited only dam- 
nation and perdition, and were so bold as to imagine that they 
could atone for their own sins by their good works and conse- 
quently would need no Messiah. 

All ability of men, no matter how wise, learned and holy they 
are, is of no avail. No man can enter heaven as he descended 
from Adam. There never was a saint who in his own merit 
could go to heaven, whether Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, 
Elijah, John, or any other. Before man can enter the kingdom 
of heaven and receive eternal life, there must first come One who 
has eternal righteousness and life, who appeases God's anger 
and abolishes sin and death. 



250 JULY FOURTEENTH 



// we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, 
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Rom. 6 : 5. 

Christ's death and resurrection and our baptism are intimately 
united with, and related to one another. Baptism is not to be re- 
garded a mere empty sign, as the Anabaptists erroneously hold. 
In it is embodied the power of Christ's death and resurrection. 
Through baptism he dedicates us to himself and imparts to us 
the power of his death and resurrection, to the end that both 
death and life may follow in us. Hence our sins are crucified 
through his death and taken away, that they may finally die in 
us and live no longer. 

Being subjected to the water in baptism signifies that we die 
in Christ. Coming forth from the water teaches and imparts 
to us a new life in him, as Christ remained not in death, but was 
raised again to life. Such life should not and cannot be a life 
of sin, because sin was crucified before «in us and we had to die 
to it. It must be a new life of righteousness and holiness, as 
through his resurrection Christ finally destroyed sin, on account 
of which he had to die, and instead he brought to himself the 
true life of righteousness and imparts it to us. Hence we are 
said to be planted together with Christ or united with him and 
become one, so that we have in us the power of his death and 
resurrection. 

The Christian's death and suffering on earth are not really 
death and harm, but a planting Unto life; being redeemed from 
death and sin by the resurrection, we shall live eternally. For 
that which is planted is planted that it may sprout and grow. 
So Christ was planted through death unto life; for not until 
he was released from this mortal life and from the sin which 
rested on him and brought him into death on our account, did 



JULY FIFTEENTH 25 I 



he come into his divine glory and power. Since this planting 
begins in baptism and by faith we possess life in Christ, it is 
evident that this life must strike root in us and bear fruit. For 
that which is planted is not planted without purpose; it is to 
grow and bear fruit. So we must prove by our new conversa- 
tion and by our fruits that we are planted into Christ unto life. 

Inlg STiftwtttfj 

A certain man made a great supper, and bade many. Luke 
14: 16. 

The man who prepared this supper is our Lord God himself. 
He is a great and rich Lord who once prepared a feast in accord- 
ance with his glorious majesty and honor. It was a supper 
called great and glorious not only on account of the host, who 
is God himself, but on account of the food, which is beyond all 
measure great and costly, namely, the holy gospel, yea, Christ 
our Lord himself. He is himself the food, offered unto us 
through the gospel, in that he made satisfaction by his death for 
our sins, and has redeemed us from the misery of eternal death, 
of hell, of the wrath of God, sin and eternal condemnation. 

The preaching of Christ is the great and glorious supper, 
which feeds his guests, satisfies them through holy baptism, and 
comforts and strengthens them through the sacrament of his 
body and blood, that nothing may be wanting, a great plenty be 
on hand, and all become satisfied. Thus it is justly called a great 
and glorious supper on account of the food so richly prepared, 
that no tongue can describe it and no heart fully grasp it. 

It is an eternal food and drink by partaking of which a man 
shall never more thirst nor hunger, but be forever satisfied and 
become joyful. Nor is it only for one man, but for the whole 
wide world, even if it were ten times wider. It is an inexhausti- 
ble food. To believe in Christ our Lord means to eat and drink, 



252 JULY SIXTEENTH 



from which the people become satisfied, strong and joyful for- 
ever. 

To this you have been invited, now is the time to come, now 
the supper is ready. Your Lord Jesus Christ is already born, 
has died and risen again, therefore do not remain away any lon- 
ger, accept your promised treasure with joy, come to the table, 
eat and be happy. 

Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been 
his counsellerf Rom. 11:34. 

Paul writes these words against those impudent questions 
of wise reason, why God punished and rejected the Jews, and 
allowed the condemned heathen to come into gospel grace; why 
he so administers justice as to exalt the godless and allow the 
godly to surfer and be oppressed ; why he elected Judas as an apos- 
tle and afterwards rejected him ; why he accepted a murderer and 
malefactor. With these words he would command these would- 
be wise to cease their impertinent strivings after the things of the 
hidden Majesty, and to confine themselves to the revelation he 
has given them. All such prying into the secrets of God are in 
vain and are harmful. If you were to search forever you would 
nowhere attain the secret purposes of God, but you would only 
jeopardize the welfare of your own soul. 

If you wish to proceed wisely you can do no better than to be 
interested in God's Word and works. In them he has revealed 
himself, and in them he may be comprehended. He presents 
you his Son on the cross — this is the work for your redemp- 
tion. In it you may truly apprehend God, and learn that he 
will condemn you on account of your sins, but give you ever- 
lasting life, if you believe. 

In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowl- 



JULY SEVENTEENTH 253 



edge. In this you will have enough to learn and ponder. You 
will marvel at the wonderful revelation of God, and you will 
be delighted with him and love him. It is a mine which can 
never be exhausted in this life, no matter how much we study. 
Even the angels never tire in its contemplation, but find un- 
ceasing joy and pleasure in it. 

I say this so that we may be prepared to instruct those we 
may meet who, assailed and tormented by such thoughts of the 
devil, are led to tempt God. Such individuals must be reminded 
of these things, and reproved by them. 



Julg g>£tienfeettitj 



Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that 
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should 
not serve sin. Rom. 6 : 6. 

Man is here called old, not because of his years ; for it is pos- 
sible for a man to be young and strong and vigorous and yet 
to be without faith or a religious spirit, to despise God, to be 
greedy and vainglorious, or to live in pride or the conceit of wis- 
dom and power. But he is called "the old man" because he is 
unconverted, unchanged from his original condition as a sin- 
ful descendant of Adam. The child of a day is included as well 
as the man of eighty years; we are all thus from our mother's 
womb. The more sins a man commits, the older and more un- 
fit he is before God. This old man, says Paul, must be cruci- 
fied — utterly condemned, executed, put out of the way, even 
here in this life. For where he still remains in his strength, faith 
and spirit cannot be ; man remains in his sins, drowned under the 
wrath of God, troubled with an evil conscience which condemns 
him and keeps him out of God's kingdom. 

The "new man" is one who has turned to God in repentance, 



254 JULY EIGHTEENTH 



who has a new heart and understanding, and who, through the 
power of the Holy Spirit lives in accordance with the Word and 
will of God. It begins in baptism or in repentance and con- 
version. It resists and subdues the old man and its sinful lusts 
through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Although the "old man" is crucified in those who are new 
men, yet there remains in them in this life "the body of sin." By 
this we understand the remaining lusts of the "old man," which 
are still felt to be active in the flesh and blood, and which would 
fain resist the Spirit. But inasmuch as the head and life of sin 
are destroyed, these lusts cannot harm the Christian. Still he 
must take care not to become obedient to them, lest the "old 
man" come to power again. The new man must keep the upper 
hand ; the remaining lusts must be weakened and subdued. And 
this body of ours must finally decay and turn to dust, thereby 
utterly annihilating sin in it. 

afalg jEiglftmttlf 

There was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid 
at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs 
which fell from the rich mans table. Luke 16: 20, 21. 

We must not judge poor Lazarus in his sores, poverty and 
anxiety according to his outward appearance. Many persons 
suffer from affliction and want, and gain nothing from it. Pov- 
erty and suffering make no one acceptable to God ; but if he is 
already acceptable to God, his poverty and suffering are precious 
in God's eyes. Therefore we must look into the heart of Lazar- 
us to seek the treasure, which make his sores so precious. This 
must surely have been his faith and love ; for without faith it is 
impossible to please God. His heart must have confessed that 
even in the midst of poverty and misery he expected all good 
from God, and comfortably relied upon him, with whose bless- 



JULY NINETEENTH 255 



ings and grace he was so abundantly satisfied, and had such 
pleasure in them that he would have heartily and willingly 
suffered even more misery, if the will of his gracious God had 
so determined. A true and living faith softened his heart by 
the knowledge of the divine goodness, so that nothing was too 
heavy or too much to suffer or to do. Thus faith makes the 
heart clever and skillful, when it experiences the grace of God. 
From this faith follows another virtue, namely, love to one's 
neighbor, so that he is willing and ready to serve every one ; but 
since Lazarus is poor and in misery himself, he had nothing with 
which he could serve others; therefore his good will is taken 
for the deed. But this lack of service in temporal things he 
abundantly makes good by his service in things spiritual. For 
even now, long after his death, he serves the whole world with 
his sores, hunger, and misery. His bodily hunger feeds our 
spiritual hunger; his bodily nakedness clothes our spiritual na- 
kedness ; his bodily sores heal our spiritual sores ; by his example 
he comforts and teaches us how God is pleased with us, when 
we are not prosperous here on earth, if we believe; and warns 
us how God is angry with us, even if we are prosperous in our 
unbelief ; just as God had pleasure in Lazarus in his misery, and 
was displeased with the rich man in his abundance. 

As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. John 20: 21. 

The first and highest work of love a Christian ought to do 
when he has become a believer is to bring others also to believe 
in the way he himself came to believe. Here you notice Christ 
begins and institutes the office of the ministry of the external 
Word in every Christian; for he himself came with this office 
and the external Word. Let us lay hold of this, for we must 
admit that it was spoken to us. In this way the Lord says: 



256 JULY TWENTIETH 



You have now received from me peace and joy and all you 
should have; you need nothing more for your person. There- 
fore labor now and follow my example, as I have done, so do ye. 
My Father sent me into the world only for your sake, that I 
might serve you, not for my own benefit, but that I might serve 
you. I have finished the work, have died for you, and have 
given you all that I am and have ; remember that ye do likewise, 
and henceforth serve and help everybody. By faith ye have 
enough of everything. Hence I send you into the world as my 
Father hath sent me; namely, that every Christian should in- 
struct and teach his neighbor, that he may also come to Christ. 
By this no power is delegated exclusively to popes and bishops, 
but all Christians are commanded to profess their faith publicly 
and also to lead others to believe. 

By faith you will accomplish this. It will make you righteous 
before God and save you. But this faith you are to show in 
love ; not that you are to seek to merit anything by your works ; 
for all in heaven and earth is yours beforehand ; but that you 
serve your neighbor thereby. So then I obey the civil govern- 
ment, for I know that Christ was obedient to it, and yet he had 
no need to be; he did it only for our sakes. Therefore I will 
also do it for Christ's sake and in behalf of my neighbor, and 
for the reason alone that I may prove my faith by my love. 
If you do not show such proofs of faith, it is certain that your 
faith is not right. In this manner the apostles also exhort us 
in their writings to do good works. 

There must be also heresies (factions-) among you, that they 
which are approved may be made manifest among you. 1 Cor. 
11 : 19. 

Discord is a deplorable offense among Christians, putting 
them in the worst possible light, and making it impossible for 



JULY TWENTIETH 257 



them to steer clear of factions. Divisions are an offense to the 
world's wisest and best, who cry out, "If the Christians' doc- 
trine were true, they would preserve unity among themselves, 
but as it is, they envy and slander and devour one another." But 
we cannot altogether prevent discord in the Church. For wher- 
ever the Word of God has a foothold, there the devil will be. 
By the agency of his factions he will always build his taverns 
and kitchens by the side of God's house. So he did at first in 
Paradise. He entrenched himself in the family of Adam, estab- 
lishing there his church. Such has been his practice ever since, 
and doubtless ever will be. He who takes offense at differences 
in the Church, who when he sees any discord at once concludes 
there is no Church there, will in the end miss both Church and 
Christ. You will never find any congregation of such purity 
that all its members are unanimous on every point of belief and 
teaching and all live in perfect harmony. 

Paul had experience in this matter in the case of the beautiful 
and famed Church of Corinth, which he himself had planted 
and taught two years. Soon after his departure they began to 
disagree about their preachers and to attach themselves to cer- 
tain ones — some to Paul, some to Peter, some to Apollos. 
Though they had been unanimous in their doctrine, yet men 
would cleave to a certain one because he was more gifted than 
the others, could speak better, or was more attractive in personal 
appearance. And among the ministers of the Church, if one had 
a special gift or office, he thought he ought to be a little better 
and a little greater than the others. Necessarily, from such 
division and inharmony grew hatred, strife and jealousy, re- 
sulting in great injury and disorder to the Church. We must, 
as far as possible, guard against this fatal evil, though we cannot 
altogether keep it out of the Church. 



Devotional Readings 17 



258 JULY TWENTY-FIRST 

3ulg Stawttij-firat 

A certain man made a great supper, and bade many ; . . . and 
they all with one consent began to make excuse. Luke 14: 16, 18. 

The many who are bidden are the Jews and all the people of 
Israel, who from Abraham on, and especially through the proph- 
ets, had been invited. To the patriarch Abraham as the father 
of this people was this supper first announced. After that the 
prophets carried it further and directed the attention of the 
people to it, so that nothing was wanting on the part of the 
Lord our God, but all were diligently invited. When the hour 
came to go to the table, that is, when the time came for our 
Lord Christ to be born, to suffer and rise again from the dead, 
then the servants went out, John the Baptist and the apostles, 
and said to the people of Israel : Hitherto you have been invited, 
now is the time to come, now the supper is ready. Your Mes- 
siah is already born, has died, and is risen again, do not remain 
away any longer, come to the table, eat and be happy, that is, 
accept your promised treasure with joy, who has according to 
promise delivered you from the curse of sin and condemnation 
and has saved you. 

The Jews excused themselves thus: We cannot accept the 
doctrine, for it is opposed to the priesthood and to the law, 
which God himself has given us through Moses. Besides, it 
also creates divisions in our kingdom which God has confirmed. 
We must see how to maintain our own affairs. Thus the first 
one excuses himself with his land, the second with his oxen, and 
both think they do well; the third does not even excuse him- 
self at all, but simply says he cannot come. 

These are the excuses of the Jews as well as our own, which 
we prefer against the gospel, for we are no better than they 
were. In the same manner our Papists excuse themselves and 



JULY TWENTY-SECOND 259 

say: The doctrine is right of course, but we must still adhere 
to the Church and her orderly government. We must above 
all things maintain obedience to the worldly power, so that 
there be no disturbance and insurrection. But how will it end 
with them? Just as it did with the Jews. They held so long 
to their law, priesthood, kingdom and treasures, until they w T ent 
to destruction and they lost one after the other. They desired 
not this supper, but preferred their priesthood to the gospel. 



ilulg (Swmty-Btttmb 



He (Thomas) said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands 
the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the 
nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 
20: 25. 

Here we see what a poor thing the human heart is when it 
becomes faint, that we cannot strengthen and comfort it again. 
The other disciples and Thomas did not only hear during the 
time they were with the Lord that he taught the people with 
great authority, and later saw how he confirmed his doctrine 
by the great miracles performed on the blind, lame, lepers and 
dumb, whom he cured; but also that he raised three persons 
from the dead, one of whom had been in the grave four days. 
Such weak characters were the disciples of Christ, and especially 
Thomas, that they could not believe that the Lord arose from 
the dead and was alive. 

We see in the apostles that we are truly nothing when Christ 
withdraws his hand and we are left to ourselves. The women 
had announced it, and now the disciples themselves proclaim 
that they had seen the risen Lord. Yet Thomas is stubborn 
and will not believe it; he will not be satisfied even if he see 
him, unless it be that he sees the print of the nails in his hands 
and puts his fingers into the print of the nails and his hand into 



26o JULY TWENTY-THIRD 

his side. The beloved disciple will thus himself be lost and 
condemned, in that he will not believe. For there can be no 
forgiveness of sins, nor salvation, if one believes not. And 
Thomas would have perished and been condemned in his un- 
belief, had not Christ rescued him from it by this revelation. 

Thus the Holy Spirit illustrates in this example that without 
faith we are simply blind and completely hardened, as we see 
everywhere in the Holy Scriptures that the human heart is the 
hardest thing in the world, harder than steel and adamant. On 
the other hand, if it be bashful, despondent and soft, there is 
not water, nor oil so soft as the human heart. So soon had the 
apostles forgotten all the signs and words they had seen and 
heard from him, that the Lord had enough to do during the 
forty days after his resurrection in various appearances and 
revelations, besides eating and drinking with them, — all for the 
purpose that tiiey might be assured that he is risen. 

3lulg 5fai£ttig4tjtr& 

Thomas answered and said unto him, My JLord and my God. 
John 20: 28. 

This happened on the eighth day after the resurrection, when 
Thomas had maintained his unbelief in the face of the testimony 
of all the others, and no one had hoped that Christ would show 
himself in a special manner to Thomas. Just then Christ comes 
and shows him the same scars and wounds, as fresh as he had 
shown them to the other disciples eight days before, and tells 
him to reach hither his finger and hand and place them into the 
print of the nails and into his side. 

Here you see that Christ is not satisfied to stop with the narra- 
tive ; but he is concerned that Thomas becomes believing and is 
resurrected from his stubborn unbelief and sin. This is shown 
in a powerful way in that Thomas says, "My Lord and my 



JULY TWENTY-FOURTH 26 1 

God!" There is at once a different man, not the old Thomas 
as he was before, when he was so cold and stiff and dead in his 
unbelief. He commenced suddenly to deliver a glorious con- 
fession about Christ, the equal of which no apostle to that time 
had yet made, namely, that the person, the risen one, is true 
God and man. They are admirable words that he utters : "My 
Lord and my God!" He is not drunken, he is not jesting, nor 
mocking; he does not mean a false god; therefore he certainly 
does not tell a lie. Besides, he is not here chastised by Christ, 
but his faith is confirmed, and so it must be the truth and sincere. 

It is by the power of the resurrection of Christ that Thomas, 
who was so deep and obdurate in unbelief, was so suddenly 
changed, became an entirely different man, who publicly and 
freely confesses that he not only believes that Christ is risen, but 
is also enlightened by the power of Christ's resurrection so that 
he firmly believes and confesses that he, his Lord, is the true 
God and man; so he will also arise from the dead on the judg- 
ment day and live forever with him in indescribable glory and 
blessedness. 

The leading thought for us to learn and retain from this pas- 
sage is, that we believe that Christ's resurrection is sure and 
that he works in us so that we be resurrected from sin and death. 
"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." 



itohj Sfatttttg-fnurtlj 



We know that we have passed from death unto life, because 
we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth 
in death. 1 John 3:14. 

How do we know we have passed from death unto life? 
Because we love the brethren. When we fully believe in our 
Saviour's love, then our hearts respond with perfect love to 
God and our neighbor. The apostle directed this epistle espe- 



262 JULY TWENTY-FOURTH 

cially against false Christians ; many there are who extol Christ, 
and fail to bear the fruit of faith. It is not sufficient to boast 
of having passed from death into life; there must be evidence 
of the fact. Faith is not an inactive and lifeless thing. When 
there is faith in the heart, its power will be manifest. Where 
power is not in evidence, all boasting is false and vain. When 
the human heart is thrilled with spiritual comfort in its con- 
fidence of divine mercy and love, and also warmed into kind- 
ness, friendliness, humility, and patience toward the neighbor, 
envying and despising none, but cheerfully serving all and min- 
istering unto necessity, even to hazarding body and life, then 
the fruits of faith are manifest. 

Such fruits are proof that the believer has truly passed from 
death into life. Had he not true faith, but doubted God's grace 
and love, his heart would not prompt him to manifest love for 
his neighbor by reason of his love and gratitude to God. This 
interpretation of God's Word leaves in its integrity the founda- 
tion, justification, or deliverance from death through faith alone. 
Faith is the first element of Christian doctrine. The next ques- 
tion is whether the faith is real or simulated, being merely a 
deceptive show and unsupported claim. The clear information 
imparted by the apostles is that love does not deliver from death, 
but that deliverance from death and the presence of life become 
a matter of sight and knowledge in that love has been brought 
about. With true faith we must have come to the point where 
we no longer in our pride and conceit despise our neighbor; 
where we are not filled with envy, hatred, and bitterness ; where 
we desire and promote the interest of our neighbor and do him 
good to the extent of our power. The reality of the inner life 
is known by the presence of love, which in turn attests the 
presence of faith in the heart. 



JULY TWENTY-FIFTH 263 



Jlulg Stmmtg-ftftij 



What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now 
ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being 
made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your 
fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Rom. 6:21, 22. 

Paul here contrasts the experience of the Romans in the two 
forms of service. He leaves it to them to determine which has 
been productive of benefit and which of injury, and to choose 
accordingly as to future service and obedience. Recall your 
manner of life when you were free from righteousness, he would 
say, and obeyed only the desires and enticements of sin. What 
pleasure or gain had you in it? None, except that for which 
you are now ashamed. Had you remained in it you would at 
last have found death. Only these two grand results — shame 
and death. Munificent reward indeed for him who, choosing 
freedom from righteousness, lives to his own pleasure. He is 
deceived into thinking he has chosen a highly desirable life, for 
it gratifies the fleshly desires, and he thinks to go unpunished. 

But gratification is succeeded by two punishments: First, 
shame, confession of disgrace before God and the world. Thus 
Adam and Eve in Paradise, when they chose to violate God's 
command and, enticed by the devil, followed their desire for a 
forbidden thing, were made to feel the disgrace for sin; they 
were ashamed in their hearts to appear in the presence of God. 
The other punishment is death and the fires of hell. 

Is it not better, then, to be free from the service of sin and to 
serve righteousness? So doing, you would never suffer shame 
or injury, but would receive a double blessing: First, a clear 
conscience before God and all creatures, proof in itself that you 
live a holy life and belong to God; second and chief, the rich 
and incorruptible reward of eternal life. 



264 JULY TWENTY-SIXTH 

In these observations Paul is speaking after the manner of 
men, in a way comprehended and accepted by reason, even with^ 
out knowledge of Christ. It is universally true in the world 
that evildoers, thieves, murderers and the like, are punished 
in addition to the public disgrace they feel. Similarly, they who 
do good receive, in addition to the honor of men, all manner of 
happy reward. 

iulg 3to?ntg-0txtlj 

The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into 
the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this genera- 
tion. Gen. 7:1. 

As soon as that extraordinary structure, the ark, was built, 
the Lord commanded Noah to enter it, because the time of the 
deluge, which the Lord announced one hundred and twenty 
years before, was now at hand. All this convinced Noah that 
God was taking care of him; it gave him ample and abundant 
word to support and confirm his faith in such great straits. 
Noah, being holy and just, a kind and merciful man, often 
struggled with his own heart, hearing with greatest agitation 
of mind the voice of the Lord, threatening certain destruction 
to all flesh. It was needful, then, that repeated declaration 
should confirm his agitated faith, lest he might doubt. 

Could words be more appalling than these, that Noah alone 
was righteous before the Lord ? It is a fearful thing to live in 
such an evil and godless world. By the goodness of God we 
are in the golden age, since we still have the light of God's 
Word. The sacraments are rightly administered in our church- 
es, pious preachers proclaim the pure Word, and though magis- 
trates be weak, wickedness is not desperately rampant. If there 
had been more godly teachers in the days of Noah, there might 
have been more righteous people. The fact that Noah alone 



JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH 265 

was proclaimed a righteous man makes it evident that the godly 
teachers had been either destroyed or corrupted, leaving Noah 
the sole preacher of righteousness. 

Noah's faith was truly great; he could rely upon God's ut- 
terance. I realize what weight the whole world's hostile and 
condemnatory judgment must carry. We are condemned in the 
judgment of the pope, the Sacramentarians, and the Anabap- 
tists, but this is mere play and pleasure, compared to what the 
righteous Noah had to bear, who found not a single person in 
the whole world to approve of his religion or life, except his 
own sons and his pious grandfather. Therefore, Noah is a 
brilliant and admirable example of faith, who opposed the judg- 
ments of the world with an heroic steadfastness of mind in the 
assurance that he was righteous while all the rest of the world 
was wicked. It is helpful often to reflect upon such examples, 
since the prince of this world battles against us, endeavoring to 
kindle despair in us. It behooves us to be well armed. 



3Juig 3tttf£tttij-0£tt£ttilf 

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must 
the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3: 14, 15. 

Here Christ uses the Scriptures to point to himself. He means 
to say, that just as the Jews in the desert, who were bitten by 
fiery serpents, were saved by looking upon the serpent of brass, 
which Moses set upon a standard, so it is also with regard to 
me. No one who looks upon me will perish ; all those who have 
an evil conscience, are tormented by sin and death, should be- 
lieve that I have come down from heaven for their sakes and 
have ascended again. Then neither sin, nor death shall harm 
them. Whoever would enter heaven and be saved, must be 



266 JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH 

saved by this serpent, which is Christ. Thus this gospel con- 
demns free will and every human accomplishment, and points 
only to this serpent. 

The spiritual significance of the narrative in Numbers is this : 
The serpent, which bit and poisoned the Jews, is sin, death and 
an evil conscience. I know that I must die and that I am under 
the power of death; I cannot free myself and must remain in 
this state until a dead serpent is set up for me, one which can 
harm no one, but rather benefit, as did the serpent of Moses. 
Now, this is Christ. I see him hanging on the cross, not beauti- 
ful, nor greatly honored ; but I see him hanging in disgrace, like 
a murderer and malefactor; thus, reason must say that he is 
cursed before God. The Jews believed this to be true and they 
could only consider him the most cursed of all men before God 
and the world. 

Moses had to set up a serpent of brass, which looked like the 
fiery serpents, but did not bite, nor harm any one; it rather 
saved the people. Thus, Christ also has the form and the ap- 
pearance of a sinner, but has become my salvation; his death is 
my life; he atones for my sins and takes away from me the 
wrath of the Father. If man believes that the death of Christ 
has taken away his sin, he becomes a new man. The carnal, 
natural man cannot believe that God will gratuitously take 
away and forgive us all our sins. Reason argues: You have 
sinned, you must also atone for your sin. The gospel of Christ 
says : You have sinned, another must atone for you. Our works 
are nothing; but faith in Christ does it all. 

iluhj SJtMttig-nglftlj 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and 
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Ps. 
46: I, 2. 



JULY TWENTY-EIGHTH 267 

No power, might or protection which can comfort, or upon 
which one can rely, may be sought in the world. Wholly in 
God, and in God alone, must help be sought. By his divine 
power God must uphold the Church. He has always from the 
beginning wonderfully preserved it in the world, in the midst of 
great weakness, in disunion occasioned by schismatics and here- 
tics, in persecution by tyrants. The government is wholly his, 
though he commits the office and service to men, whom he sum- 
mons and uses to administer his Word and sacrament. Every 
Christian should be intent, in that whereunto God has called 
and appointed him, serving God faithfully and doing that which 
is commanded him. The anxiety respecting the Church's con- 
tinued existence and her preservation against the devil and the 
world can be left to the Lord. He has taken this upon himself 
and so has removed the burden from our shoulders that we 
might be certain of the permanence of the Church. Christians 
have regard for God's Word and believe that God cares for 
them. They commend all things to him and at his word go on 
with courage. They have learned that they should not rely 
upon their own wisdom and reason and upon human help or 
comfort. 

Let me illustrate from my own experience. What should I 
have done when I began to denounce the lies of the indulgence 
system, and later the errors of the papacy, if I had given heed 
to the terrible things all the world wrote and said would happen 
to me? How often I heard it said that if I wrote against such 
and such eminent persons I would provoke their displeasure, 
which would prove too severe for me and the whole German 
nation. But since I had not begun this work of myself, being 
driven and led thereto by reason of my office, I must continue. 
I commended the cause to God and let him bear the burden of 
care, both as to the result of the work and as to my own fate. 
Thus I advanced the cause more, despite tumultuous opposition, 



268 JULY TWENTY-NINTH 



than I had ever before dared to think or hope. So let every 
Christian cast his heart and its anxieties upon God, who is 
strong and can easily carry the burden. 

Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to 
come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14: 23. 

This refers to the heathen, who have dwelt in no city, who 
were without any worship of the true God, but were idolatrous, 
and did not know what God was. Go thither, he says, and com- 
pel them to come in. For the world arrays itself against the 
gospel in every way, and cannot tolerate this doctrine, and yet 
this housefather wants his house full of guests; he has made 
preparations, and now must have people to eat, drink and be 
joyful, even if he had to make them of stones. 

But how shall we compel, as God does not want any forced 
worship? He desires that we should preach thus: Dear friend, 
do not despair because you are a sinner and have such a terrible 
sentence of condemnation passed upon you ; but do this, go forth 
and be baptized and hear the gospel. Here you will learn that 
Jesus Christ has died for your sakes and has made satisfaction 
for your sins. If you will believe this you will be safe against 
the wrath of God and eternal death, and you shall eat here at 
this glorious supper and live well, become hearty and strong. 
When a man feels his wretchedness and misery, then is the time 
to say to him: Sit down at the table of this rich Lord and eat, 
that is, be baptized and believe in Jesus Christ, that he has made 
satisfaction for your sins. There are no means to aid you, ex- 
cept you be baptized and believe. Thus wrath will cease and 
heaven will shine with pure grace and mercy, forgiveness of 
sins and eternal life. 

These words are, therefore, lovely and comfortable for the 



JULY THIRTIETH 269 



poor, miserable multitude of those who are constrained to come 
in, who before were lost and condemned heathen. By these 
words God desires forcibly to portray and show unto us his un- 
fathomable grace. Thus God shows that he is immeasurably 
more anxious to give and help us than we are or ever can be to 
receive and pray; and that he requires nothing more difficult 
from us than that we open our hearts and accept his grace. This 
is the way we are to come to this supper, that from Jews and 
Gentiles there may be one Christian Church. 



3tohj Eljiritrtfj 



Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for 
to hear him. Luke 15: 1. 

Luke freely and plainly tells us what kind of people Christ 
had about him, namely, those who openly lived as they should 
not live. Thus it would appear that the Pharisees had sufficient 
reason to blame him, because he pretended to be a pious and 
holy man and kept company with such low characters. At that 
time men called publicans were scattered through the land, to 
whom the Romans gave charge of a city and required of them 
a certain amount of revenue. Those who collected such revenue 
or tax managed matters so as to have a profit from it. As the 
sum appointed for each city or office was large, these officers 
extorted without let or hindrance, so that they might enjoy more 
as their own. Their masters were so close with them that they 
could not gain much for themselves, if they would act justly 
and take advantage of no one. Hence they were reported in 
all lands as extortioners in whom little good or honesty could 
be found. 

So other great crowds in general were called "sinners," who 
in other respects were worse people and publicly lived in a 
shameful and wild state, in covetousness, adultery and the like. 



270 JULY THIRTY-FIRST 

Such drew near to Christ to hear him, since they had heard 
that in the light of his doctrine and his many miracles he was 
an excellent man. Now there was after all a spark or two of 
virtue and honesty in them, since they had a desire for Christ 
and gladly heard his doctrine and wished to see what he did. 
They had heard nothing but good of him, and they well knew 
that their doings did not harmonize with his life, yet they feel 
no enmity against him, but go to him, not to seek any evil fn 
him, but to see and hear something good, and to hope that they 
might become better. 

The scribes and Pharisees, who were held to be the most 
pious and holy, were such poisonous reptiles that they were not 
only enemies of Christ, but could not even suffer poor sinners 
to come to him and hear him that they might be made better. 
They called him a "wine-bibber and a glutton" and a "friend 
of publicans and sinners." Such names he must bear from these 
holy people, not because he was given to gluttony and drunken- 
ness, but because he permitted "publicans and sinners" to come 
to him. 

Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and 
Noah walked with God. Gen. 6: 9. 

Noah is called "just" because of his faith in God, because he 
first believed the general promise with respect to the seed of the 
woman and then also the particular one respecting the destruc- 
tion of the world through the flood and the saving of his own 
offspring. On the other hand he is called "perfect" ("upright") 
because he walked in the fear of God and conscientiously avoided 
murder and other sins with which the wicked polluted them- 
selves in defiance of conscience. Nor did he permit himself to 
be moved by the frequent offenses of men most illustrious, wise, 
and apparently holy. 



AUGUST FIRST 27 I 



Great was his courage. To-day it appears to us impossible 
that one man should oppose himself to all mankind, condemning 
them as evil, while they despise the Church and God's Word 
and worship, and maintain that he alone is a son of God and ac- 
ceptable to him, therefore, is a marvelous man, and Moses com- 
mends this same greatness of mind when he plainly adds "in his 
generations," or "in his age," as if he desired to say that his age 
was, indeed, the most wicked and corrupt. 

In the history of Enoch we explained what it means to "walk 
with God," namely, to advocate the cause of God in public. To 
be just and upright bespeaks private virtue, but to walk with 
God is something public — to advocate the cause of God before 
the world, to wield his Word, to teach his worship. Noah was 
not only just and holy for himself, but he was also a confessor; 
he taught others the promises and threats of God, and performed 
and suffered all that behooves a public personage in an age so 
exceedingly wicked and corrupt. 

Peter beautifully sets forth what it means to walk with God 
when he calls Noah a preacher, not of the righteousness of man, 
but of God, — the righteousness which comes by faith in the 
promised seed. What reward Noah received from the ungodly 
for his message Moses does not indicate. The statement is 
sufficient that he preached righteousness, that he taught the true 
worship of God while the whole earth opposed him. What a 
noble example of patience and other virtues Noah is, who was 
just and irreproachable in that ungodly generation and walked 
with God. 



August 3Urst 



Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and 
steicards of the mysteries of God. I Cor. 4:1. 

To serve Christ, or God, is defined by Paul as fulfilling an 
office ordained of God, the office of preaching. This office is a 



272 AUGUST SECOND 



service or ministry proceeding from Christ to us and not from 
us to Christ. To make himself clearly understood in this mat- 
ter of service or ministry, Paul carefully adds to the word "min- 
isters" the explanatory word "stewards," which cannot be under- 
stood otherwise than as referring to the office of the ministry. 

He calls his office "service or ministry of Christ," and himself 
"minister of Christ," because he was ordained of God to the 
office of preaching. Thus all apostles and bishops are ministers 
of Christ; that is preachers, messengers, officers of Christ, sent 
to the people with his message. The meaning of the verse, then, 
is : Let every individual take heed not to institute another leader, 
to set up another Lord, to constitute another Christ. Rather be 
unanimously loyal to the one and only Christ. We apostles are 
not your lords, nor your masters ; we do not preach our own in- 
terests, nor teach our own doctrines. We do not seek to have 
you obey us, or give us allegiance and accept our doctrine. We 
are messengers and ministers of him who is your Master, your 
Lord and Leader. We preach his word, enlist men to follow 
his commandments and lead only into his obedience. 

He who so receives us, receives, not us, but Christ, whom we 
alone preach. But he who does not regard us, does us injustice, 
discards Christ, the one true Leader, sets up another in his 
stead and makes gods of us. Where more authority is assumed 
than God's command grants, idolatry results and the leader as- 
sumes a new character. The Church has no other doctrine than 
that of Christ, no other obedience than to obey him. 



The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Ps. 33 : 5- 
When a babe is born blind we see what a painful thing the 
lack of sight is, what a precious thing even one eye would be, 
and what a divine blessing a healthy, bright countenance is. 



AUGUST SECOND 273 



The eye serves us our whole lifetime and without it one had 
rather be dead ; and yet no one thanks God for it. The psalmist 
had pure eyes and could see far, that the whole world was full 
of the goodness and the lovingkindness of God. From whom 
does this goodness come? Have we deserved it? No, but it has 
pleased God to cast his gifts promiscuously into the world, which 
the unthankful receive almost as freely as the thankful. We are 
grieved when we are obliged to lose a few dollars, or to give 
them to the poor. How much of his goods does God daily cast 
into the world and no one thanks him for anything? 

We may observe all God's creatures and become convinced 
of his goodness in them. "He makes his sun to rise on the evil 
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust." He 
enlightens our eyes, but who acknowledges that it is God's 
blessing? If some morning the sun should not rise, what dis- 
tress and anxiety it would cause, but since it rises and shines daily 
at the appointed time, no one considers it a blessing. So it is 
with the rain from heaven, with the grain in the field and with 
all that God has created. They exist in such abundance and 
are daily bestowed upon us so plenteously that we fail to see 
them. 

At times God permits some man to fall into anxiety, into pain 
and distress; he becomes blind, lame, dropsical. The disciples 
asked the Lord concerning the man blind from his birth, whether 
he or his parents had sinned. The Lord answered, "Neither has 
this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God 
should be made manifest in him." God sees that the treasures 
of this world do not move us. In his grace he presents to us a 
blind person, so that, when we do not recognize his grace and 
kindness in our good fortune, we may at least do so in our mis- 
fortune. 



Devotional Readings 18 



274 AUGUST THIRD 



August Qtytrb 

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to 
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto 
death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom. 6: 1 6. 

Necessarily your life must be obedient to some master. Either 
you obey sin, to continue in the service of which brings death 
and God's wrath, or you obey God in grace unto a new manner 
of life. Reason teaches, through the law, good works and for- 
bids evil, but it is unable to comprehend why its teachings are 
not fulfilled. It perceives, from the results which follow dis- 
respect for the law, that it is best to honor it, that it is right and 
praiseworthy not to steal and commit crime. But it fails to un- 
derstand why, after its teachings are given, they are not natural- 
ly fulfilled. With sword, rack and gallows the judge may re- 
strain public crime, but he cannot punish more than what is 
known and witnessed to before court. Whatever is done secretly 
and does not come before him, he cannot punish or restain. 

The Word of God, however, teaches how to crush the head of 
the serpent and to slay the evil, so that judge and executioner 
are no longer necessary. It tells us that a Christian has certain 
knowledge that through the grace of Christ his sins are forgiven, 
blotted out and deprived of condemning power. Because he has 
obtained and believes in such grace, he receives a heart abhor- 
rent of sin. Although feeling within himself the presence of evil 
thoughts and lusts, yet his faith and the Holy Spirit are with 
him to remind him of his baptism. He says : Although time and 
opportunity permit me to do evil and I run no risk of being de- 
tected and punished, I will not do it, but will obey God and 
honor Christ my Lord, for I am baptized into Christ and as a 
Christian am dead unto sin, nor will I come again under its 
power. 



AUGUST FOURTH 275 



So acted godly Joseph, who, when tempted by his master's 
wife, "left his garment in her hand, fled and got him out." He 
was but flesh and blood and naturally not insensible to her in- 
ducement, to the time and opportunity, to the friendship of the 
woman. But he restrained himself, not yielding even in thought 
to the temptation. Such obedience to God destroys, indeed, the 
source of sin and evil. 



August Jfamrtlf 

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 1 John 3:13. 

Why this hostility? Because the apostles sought to deprive 
the world of its idolatry and damnable doings. Such good 
works the world could not tolerate. What it desires is nothing 
but praise and commendation for its own evil doings, expecting 
from God the impossible endorsement, "Your deeds are good 
and well-pleasing to me. You are pious children. Just keep 
on cheerfully killing all who believe and preach my Word." 

In the same way the world conducts itself to-day with refer- 
ence to our gospel. For no other reason are we hated and 
persecuted than because we have, through God's grace, pro- 
claimed his Word that has rescued us from the blindness and 
idolatry in which we had sunken as deeply as the world, and 
because we desire to rescue others. We* preach no other doc- 
trine than faith in Christ, which they themselves confess in 
words. We differ only in our claim that Christ having been 
crucified for us and having shed his blood to redeem us from 
sin and death, our salvation is not effected by our works, or 
holiness or devotion. The fact that we do not regard their 
faithless worship equal to Christ himself, but teach men to 
trust in the grace of God and not in their own worthiness, 
and to render him gratitude for his grace — this fact is intoler- 



276 AUGUST FIFTH 



able to the world. No unity or harmony is to be hoped for; 
the world will not forsake its idolatry nor receive the faith. 

So to understand the world as to know what we may ex- 
pect from it is essential and valuable to the Christian. Thus 
armed he will not be dismayed and become impatient of suffer- 
ing, nor permit its malice and ingratitude to mislead him to 
hate and desire for revenge. He will keep his faith and love, 
suffering the world to go its way if it refuse to hear his mes- 
sage. The Christian should expect nothing better from the 
world than its bitter persecution for his good works and love, 
Such knowledge is comforting to the godly little company of 
Christians. If they fare better, they thank God for it. But 
they are ever to abide in love toward God, whose love they have 
received and felt, and likewise toward men, their enemies not 
excepted. 



August 3Ttftlj 



The imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth. Gen. 
8: 21. 

This is a powerful passage relating to original sin. Who- 
ever weakens its force, goes groping like the blind man in the 
sunlight, failing to see his own acts and experiences. Look 
in how many ways sin manifests itself in our earlier years. 
What an amount of switching it requires until we are taught 
order and attention to duty! What then shall we say of the 
inward vices when unbelief, presumption, neglect of the Word, 
and wicked views grow up ? Original sin is not a slight disorder 
or infirmity, but complete lawlessness, the like of which is not 
found in other creatures, except in evil spirits. Not even the 
saints are excepted. For we learn by experience that even holy 
men can scarcely stand firm; that even they are often en- 
tangled by gross sins, being overwhelmed by such natural cor- 
ruptions. 



AUGUST SIXTH 277 



The Hebrew ne-urim denotes the age when man begins to 
use his reason ; this naturally occurs in the sixth year. Similarly 
the term ne-arim is used to denote boys and youths who need 
the guidance of parents and teachers up to the age of man- 
hood. It will be profitable for each of us to glance backward 
to that period of life and consider how willingly we obeyed 
the commands of our parents and teachers, how diligent we 
were in studying, how persevering we were, how often our 
parents punished our sauciness. Who can say for himself that 
he was not much more pleased to go out for a walk, to play 
games and to gossip than to go to church in obedience to his 
parents. 

Although these impulses can be corrected or bridled to a cer- 
tain extent by discipline, they cannot be entirely rooted out 
of the heart, as their traces show when we are grown up. 
God, indeed, causes some persons to experience emotions which 
are naturally good; but they are induced by supernatural 
power. Thus Cyrus was impelled to restore the worship of 
God and to preserve the Church. But such is not the tendency 
of human nature. Where God is present with his Holy Spirit, 
there only the imagination of the human heart gives place 
to the thoughts of God. God dwells there through the Word 
and the Spirit. But Moses speaks here only of those who are 
without the Holy Spirit; they are wicked even at their best. 

AuguBt ^txtlj 

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle 
me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me 
have. Luke 24: 39. 

As the text gives occasion, we may here speak of ghosts, or 
walking spirits, for we see here that the Jews and the apostles 
themselves held that spirits roam about and are seen by night 



278 AUGUST SIXTH 



and at other times. But the Scriptures do not say, nor give 
any example, that such are the souls of dead persons walking 
among the people and seeking help, as in our blindness and 
delusion by the devil we have heretofore believed. 

We have good reason not to believe such apparitions of 
roaming, erring spirits that profess to be souls. First, because 
the Scriptures nowhere say that the souls of the deceased that 
have not yet risen should wander about among the people; 
whereas everything else we need to know is clearly revealed 
in the Scriptures. Not one word of this is given for our in- 
struction, nor is it possible that we should grasp and under- 
stand the state of the spirits that have departed from the body 
before the resurrection and the day of judgment; for they are 
sundered and separated altogether from the world and from 
this generation. Furthermore, it is clearly forbidden in the 
Scriptures to consult the dead or to believe them who do. 
God will neither let one rise from the dead, nor preach, be- 
cause we have Moses and the prophets, or the Scriptures. 

Know therefore that all ghosts and visions, which cause them- 
selves to be seen and heard, especially with din and noise, are 
not men's souls, but evidently devils that amuse themselves 
either to deceive the people with false claims and lies, or un- 
necessarily frighten and trouble them. A Christian should 
be well girded with God's Word and faith, that he may not 
be deceived nor affrighted, but abide in the doctrine that he 
has learned and confessed from the gospel of Christ, and cheer- 
fully despise the devil with his noise. Nor does he tarry long 
when he feels that a soul trusts in Christ and despises him. 

That Christ shows his hands and his feet to his disciples 
signifies that they were weak. But he does not rebuke them; 
he lovingly comforts them that they might be strong and fear- 
less. Hence they were also made cheerful and of good cour- 
age. Therefore we ought not to cast away the weak, but so 



AUGUST SEVENTH 279 



deal with them that they may become strong and of good 
cheer. 

August §>mutfj 

No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. 
1 Cor. 12: 3. 

No one can possibly possess the Holy Spirit, if he does not 
regard Christ as the Lord, much less if he call him accursed. 
Destroy the foundation and you destroy all; there will be no 
God, no Spirit, and all your claims, teaching and works are 
naught. You must recognize and be governed by the fact that 
either Christ must be received and believed in as the one true 
Lord, and praised and glorified as such, or else he will be 
cursed; between these alternatives is no medium. We are to 
make the doctrine of this verse the standard and authority as 
to what and how we preach concerning Christ. He who 
speaks by inspiration of the Holy Spirit certainly will not 
curse Christ; he will glorify and praise him. If his teaching 
is not to the glory of God, you may safely conclude that he 
is not true, not inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

Thus Paul rejects the glorying and boasting of the sects 
over their offices and gifts — they who pretend to be filled with 
the Spirit and to teach the people correctly, and who make 
out that Paul and other teachers are of no consequence. Them- 
selves the chief of apostles, the people must hear them and 
accept their baptism. More than that, they demand a higher 
attainment in the Spirit for gospel ministers, deeming faith, 
the sacrament and the outward office insufficient. All such 
teachers are in reality simply guilty of condemning, reproach- 
ing and cursing Christ, though themselves bearing and boast- 
ing that name. To slight Christ's Word and ministry, and 
exalt in their stead other things as mediums for obtaining the 



28o AUGUST EIGHTH 



Holy Spirit and eternal life, or at least as being equally effica- 
cious and essential — what is this but scorning Christ and 
making him of no consequence? The tongue of a minister — 
the language he employs — must be of that simplicity which 
preaches naught but Christ. If he is to testify of the Saviour 
and glorify him, he cannot present other things whereby Christ 
would be ignored and robbed of his glory. 

August iEtgfjtlj 

The Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man re- 
ceiveth sinners, and eateth with them. Luke 15: 2. 

We have here the Pharisees and hypocrites, who are exceed- 
ingly pious people and are over head and ears in holiness. We 
have also the open sinners and publicans, who were over head 
and ears in sin. These were despised by those shining saints, 
and were not considered worthy of their society. But Christ 
intervenes with his judgment and says that those saints are 
to stoop down and take the sinners upon their shoulders, and 
with their righteousness and piety they are to bear in mind to 
help the others out of their sins. 

It is truly a Christian work to descend and get mixed up in 
the mire of the sinner, taking his sin upon ourselves and floun- 
dering out of it with him, not acting otherwise than if his sins 
were our own. We should rebuke and deal with the sinner 
in earnest; yet we are not to despise but sincerely to love him. 
There are great and good works in which we should exercise 
ourselves. But no man pays attention to them. Such works 
have entirely faded away, and it is to be feared that the holiest 
are in the deepest hell, and that sinners are mostly in heaven. 
Moses acted thus when the Israelites worshiped the molten 
calf. He mingled freely with the people in their sins. He 
punished them severely, but afterward he went up and bowed 



AUGUST NINTH 28 1 



down before God, and prayed that he would forgive the peo- 
ple their sin, or blot him out of the Book of Life. Here we 
have a man who knew that God loved him and had written 
his name in the book of the blessed. Thus Paul also at times 
severely rebuked the Jews, yet he writes to the Romans, "I 
could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my 
brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Thus we should 
act and serve our neighbor; but such a course is much too lofty 
for reason and passes beyond its conception. Our bearing toward 
sinners should be: inwardly, the heart in service; outwardly, 
the tongue in earnest. This is what Christ, our Captain, has 
manifested in himself. He could have justly condemned us as 
sinners, but de did not do so. He gave himself to be our Serv- 
ant. His righteousness has served for our sins, his fulness for 
our feebleness, his life for our death. 



Auguat Ntntlj 



What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one 
of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, 
and go after that which is lost, until he find itf Luke 15:4. 

* Christ is the good shepherd. He has lighted the lamp, that 
is, the gospel, and he goes about in the desert, that is, the world. 
He seeks the lost sheep, when he comes with his Word and pro- 
claims to us first our sins, and then his grace and mercy. Christ's 
declaration, that he is the Shepherd and has laid our sins upon 
his shoulders, makes us fully trust in him, and makes publicans 
and sinners run after him. These would not have come to him, 
had they regarded him as a hard and wrathful judge; they were 
drawn to him when they heard this loving doctrine. 

Learn from this, that our neighbor is to be sought as a lost 
sheep, that his shame is to be covered with our honor, that our 
piety is to be a cover for his sins. When you come together, 



282 AUGUST TENTH 



conceal the shame of others, and do not cause wounds which you 
cannot heal. Should you meet with anything like this in some 
one's house, throw your mantle over it and close the door. A 
very good reason for doing this is that you would have others 
do the same to you. Christ acts thus. He keeps silent and cov- 
ers our sins. He could expose us to shame and tread us under 
foot, but he does not do so. All will be brought to light, how- 
ever, at the final judgment. There is in God's judgment no 
greater sin on earth than when pious men and women despise 
those who lie in their sin. 

Hence this gospel is very comforting to sinners. But while 
it is friendly to sinners, it is a source of great fear to Pharisees. 
It is spoken to those only who acknowledge their sins, and they 
acknowledge their sins when they repent of them. It is of no 
use to the Pharisees, for they do not acknowledge their sins. 
To those who acknowledge them and are about to despair, the 
gospel must be brought. When your sins are gnawing at you, 
and your heart is agitated, say: Oh, God! I have come to feel 
my sins, I need the one Shepherd who seeketh me. I will freely 
venture on the gospel. When you thus come to God, you are 
already the sheep placed upon his shoulders. You have found 
the Shepherd. 

August Stettin 

Who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been 
his counseller? Rom. 1 1 : 34. 

The reason and wisdom of man go so far as to reach the con- 
clusion, although feebly, that there must be one eternal being, 
who has created and who preserves and governs all things. Man 
sees such a beautiful and wonderful creation in the heavens and 
on the earth, one so wonderfully, regularly and securely pre- 
served and ordered, that he must say: It is impossible that this 
came into existence by mere chance, or that it originated and 



AUGUST ELEVENTH 283 



controls itself; there must have been a Creator and Lord from 
whom all these things proceed and by whom they are governed. 

But, even knowing this, we have not yet searched out or 
fathomed the exalted, eternal, divine essence of the Godhead. 
For even though I have learned that there is an only divine 
majesty, who governs all things, I do not thereby know the in- 
ner workings of this divine essence himself ; this no one can tell 
me, except in so far as God himself reveals it in his Word. Now 
we Christians have the Scriptures which we know to be the 
Word of God. From these, and from no other source, we have 
obtained all that is known of God and divine works from the 
beginning of the world. And our knowledge is confirmed and 
proven by great miracles, even to the present day. These Scrip- 
tures declare that there is no God nor divine being save this one 
alone. They not only manifest him to us from without, but 
they lead us into his inner essence, and show us that in him there 
are three persons; not three Gods or three kinds of divinity, 
but the same undivided, divine essence. 

Such a revelation is radiantly shed forth from the declara- 
tion of his divine counsel and will. In that counsel and will it 
was decreed from eternity and was proclaimed in his promises, 
that his Son should become man and die to reconcile man to 
God. This no angel nor any other creature could do ; it must be 
done by God himself. It could not be done by the person of the 
Father, who was to be reconciled, but it must be done by a 
second person with whom this counsel was determined and 
through whom and for whose sake the reconciliation was to be 
brought about. 

Auguat iElmttitj 

And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all 
the cattle that was with him in the ark. Gen. 8:1. 

When that horrible wrath had exhausted itself, and all flesh 
and living things on the earth had been destroyed, the promise 



284 AUGUST ELEVENTH 



made by God to Noah and his sons, that they were to be the 
seed of the human race, began to be realized. No doubt this 
promise was to them an object of eager expectation. No life is 
so hedged about with difficulties as that of faith. This was the 
life lived by Noah and his sons, whom we see absolutely de- 
pending upon the heavens for support. The earth was cov- 
ered with water. There was no bottom on which to stand. It 
was the word of promise that upheld them, as they drifted in 
this welter of waters. 

The difficulty besetting Noah is hinted at in the words, "God 
remembered." Moses thus intimates that Noah had been tossed 
on the water so long that God seemed to have forgotten him 
entirely. They who pass through such mental strain, when the 
rays of divine grace are gone and they sit in darkness or are for- 
gotten by God, find by experience that it is far more difficult to 
live in the Word or by faith alone than to be a hermit or a 
monk. Hence it is not a meaningless expression when the Holy 
Spirit says that "God remembered Noah." He means that from 
the day that Noah entered the ark, no word was spoken, 
nothing was revealed to him ; that he saw no ray of divine grace 
shining, but merely clung to the promise which he had accepted, 
while the waters and waves raged as if Gpd had certainly for- 
gotten him. 

The word "remembered" indicates that great sadness beset 
both man and beast during the entire time of the flood. It must 
have been by dint of great patience and extraordinary courage 
that Noah and the others bore this lapse from God's memory, 
which is simply unbearable to the flesh without the spirit, even 
in slight trials. True, God always remembers his own, even 
when he seems to have forgotten them ; but Moses indicates that 
he remembered his people here in a visible way, by a sign, and 
by openly fulfilling what he had previously promised through 
the Word and the Spirit. This story sets before us an example 
of faith, of endurance and patience. 



AUGUST TWELFTH 285 



August SfatHftlf 

When he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and 
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found 
my sheep which was lost. Luke 15: 6. 

This great and good Shepherd is not satisfied to seek his lost 
sheep so lovingly and carry it home so gently with joy; but 
when he brings it home he appoints a special feast and season of 
joy, and calls together his friends and neighbors to rejoice with 
him. Yea, he makes a great jubilee. Thus God in heaven to- 
gether with all the heavenly hosts and all creatures rejoice over 
one sinner that repents. Here is shown who the lost sheep is, 
namely, the sinner who repents, that is, who feels his sins and is 
heartily sorry on account of them, and would gladly be free 
from them, come to Christ and amend his life. The character 
of Christ is such as to seek and carry no sheep except that which 
is lost and knows no refuge or help of its own. 

How could Christ preach more effectively and comfortingly, 
or what more should he do to make the heart joyful and awak- 
en a strong confidence in him ? He is such a Shepherd as is not 
only unwilling to lose his sheep, but anxiously seeks it; and 
when he has found it, he carries it home with all joy, and in- 
stigates such a feast of joy that all the angels and saints in 
heaven and all creatures rejoice and smile so benignly that even 
the sun must shine more lovely. For when man is sorrowful, 
the sun and everything appears dark to him, but when the heart 
is joyful everything appears lighter and brighter to him. 

He who will firmly believe Christ to be this kind Shepherd 
shall receive true consolation and joy in Christ the Lord; be- 
cause he has here the promise, that if he cling unto Christ and 
permit himself to be carried on his shoulders, he is a dear guest 
in the kingdom of heaven and will be received with great joy. 



286 AUGUST THIRTEENTH 

Therefore if you desire to possess true comfort and joy, learn to 
impress this lovely picture on your heart. In Christ you find all 
things, if you only remain under his protection and lie still upon 
his shoulders. You need not be troubled about sin, death or 
life, you have all things in Christ who carries and defends you. 

Auguai SEijirteettitj 

They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and 
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in de- 
struction and perdition. I Tim. 6: 9. 

Those who plant themselves among the thorns of avarice, 
and seek after great possessions, must suffer the consequences 
of being stung and torn and must fall, not only into manifold 
temptations and dangers, but also into snares in which they are 
so thoroughly caught that they sink into a temporal destruction 
and eternal damnation from which they can never again escape. 
Of this we have daily examples even in those who boast of the 
gospel and Christianity. Everywhere we find robbery, oppres- 
sion, assessment and usury, to such an extent that even God 
and conscience are set aside for the sake of a miserable penny. 
Then, as if such a fall were not deep enough, they harden them- 
selves, and keep on their course defiantly and sacrilegiously, 
until they sink so far as to become enemies of the Word of God, 
become blind and deaf, so unblessed and accursed that they are 
of no service in any vocation of life, and can do nothing that 
is wholesome and good or useful to the pleasure and improve- 
ment of others. 

All comes from this that men are bent on being rich. Such 
covetousness and cares do assuredly keep company with a pride 
that makes men aim at being something great and powerful. 
Covetousness would appropriate everything to itself. It would 
at first have this house, this field, this castle, this village. It 



AUGUST FOURTEENTH 287 

grows greater and greater till it becomes a dragon's tail that 
draws everything after it. Where covetousness has once become 
rooted, it daily brings forth cares of a hundred different kinds; 
there the human heart boils and bubbles with countless insatiable 
lusts and desires that serve no other purpose than its own 
destruction, and springs from no other source than man's fall 
from faith, and thence from one temptation and snare to an- 
other. It is a dreadful plague that has taken such thorough 
possession of men that, on account of it, they can do nothing 
good or useful, and can no longer have any thought of serving 
God or man. The curse has already been pronounced that he 
shall never be satisfied and that he must endure all sorts of 
misfortune and heartaches through the very things he has 
coveted to his everlasting destruction. 



August $i\\xxtm\\\\ 



And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou 
shalt catch men. Luke 5:10. 

That Peter is not alarmed on account of his unworthiness 
and sins is an abundant comfort and grace. He is not only to 
have the forgiveness of sins, but is also to know that God in- 
tends to accomplish still greater things through him by making 
him a help and comfort to others. What Christ would say is, 
That which thou hast accomplished by the draught of fishes 
is much to little; really, it is nothing at all. Thou art hence- 
forth to become a different kind of fisherman, in a different sea, 
with a different net and boat. I am going to engage thee in a 
business which shall be called "catching men." This means that 
throughout the entire world, thou art to draw away souls from 
the power of the devil into the kingdom of God. Then only 
wilt thou become the sort of man that can help others, even as 
thou thyself hast been helped. 



288 AUGUST FIFTEENTH 



From this gospel let us rightly comprehend and grasp Christ 
and the power of his comfort, that we may comfort both our- 
selves and others, and may instruct and remind the consciences 
which are in distress and fear that may by no means run or 
flee away from Christ, but may much rather flee to him and 
wait for his comfort. Thus to fear and run away is nothing 
else than to drive your own salvation and happiness away from 
you. Christ has not come to make you afraid, but to remove 
your sins and distress from you. Nor does he draw nigh and 
follow after you to drive you away, but that he may kindly 
allure you to himself. "Fear not" speaks to your heart, and to 
the hearts of all troubled consciences, and pronounces absolu- 
tion from all sins and removes all fear. He will grant you a 
still richer grace by making you such a holy, blessed and useful 
man in his kingdom that you can be of comfort to others and 
can bring those to him who like yourself are now full of fear 
and in need of comfort and grace. Here you see how a man 
is delivered from spiritual poverty and distress through Christ's 
Word. He obtains forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience 
with increase of spiritual gifts through the grace of Christ. 

August Sftfteetttlj 

When he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, haunch out 
into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke 5 • 4* 

When Christ wished to bestow his gifts upon Peter and the 
others he did not cause the fish to leap into the boat without 
labor or nets, as he very well might have done. He commanded 
them to put out into the deep and let down their nets. They 
are to engage in the handicraft they understood and were ac- 
customed to. Christ keeps aloof from the lazy, unfaithful idlers 
who will not do as they have been commanded, and will not 
keep their hands and feet from straying. Thus he teaches a 



AUGUST SIXTEENTH 289 



twofold lesson, that he will not give us anything unless we work 
for it, and that the things that we obtain do not come from our 
work, but from God's help and blessing. You are to work, 
but you are not to depend upon that work, as if that which 
resulted from it were of your own accomplishment. 

Our work produces and bestows nothing. Yet it is necessary 
as a means through which we may receive what God gives. 
The disciples must use their hands to let down the nets and 
draw them in, if they wish to secure anything, and must be 
willing to do so. Yet they must acknowledge that their labor 
did not bring about the result, otherwise they would have suc- 
ceeded without Christ in the first place. He permits them to 
make a trial and discover by experience that the toil of this 
entire night has been in vain and to no purpose. 

This he teaches us by daily experience in all kinds of affairs 
and doings on earth. Very often he permits us to labor long 
and arduously without results, till it becomes bitterly painful 
to us, and we are forced to complain with Peter: "We have 
toiled all night, and have taken nothing." This he does that 
we may not venture to depend upon our labor, but may know 
that he must grant it success, and that we have not secured this 
through our own efforts, skill, or diligence. All human life 
and nature are such that, until God gives the increase, we 
may often labor long and much to no purpose. But the work 
is not to cease on that account, nor should any man be found 
without work. God giveth the increase. 



August 9i£tmttl]i 



Our sufficiency is of God. 2 Cor. 3:5. 

These words are blows and thrusts at the false apostles and 
preachers. We rely not upon ourselves or our wisdom and 
ability, Paul would say; we preach not what we ourselves have 

Devotional Readings 19 



290 AUGUST SIXTEENTH 



invented. But this is our boast and trust in Christ before God, 
that we have made of you a divine epistle; have written upon 
your hearts, not our thoughts, but the Word of God. We are 
not glorifying our own power, but the works and power of him 
who has called and equipped us for such an office; from whom 
proceeds all you have heard and believed. 

It is a glory which every preacher may claim, to be able to 
say with full confidence of heart: This trust have I toward 
God in Christ, that what I teach and preach is truly the Word 
of God. Likewise when he performs other official duties in 
the Church — baptizes a child, absolves and comforts a sinner — 
it must be done in the same firm conviction that such is the 
command of Christ. Who would teach and exercise authority 
in the Church without this glory, "it were better for him that 
a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were 
drowned in the depths of the sea." For the devil's lies is what 
he preaches, and death is what he effects. 

God puts into our heart and mouth what we should say, and 
impresses it upon your heart through the Holy Spirit. We can- 
not ascribe to ourselves any honor, cannot seek our own glory 
as the self-instructed, proud spirits do; me must give to God 
the honor, and must glory in the fact that by his grace and 
power he works in you unto salvation through the office com- 
mitted unto us. Nothing should be taught and practiced in the 
Church but what is unquestionably God's Word. Man's achieve- 
ments, man's reasoning and power, are of no avail in spiritual 
matters save in so far as they come from God. For it is of no 
moment that men observe our greatness and ability; the im- 
portant thing is that poor souls may rest assured of being pre- 
sented with God's Word and works, whereby they may be saved. 



AUGUST SEVENTEENTH 29 1 



August 9mtttmttfr 



If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye 
shall live. Rom. 8: 13. 

Here the apostle confesses that even in the Christian there is 
a remnant of the flesh, that must be put to death — all manner 
of temptation and lusts in opposition to God's commandments. 
These are active in the flesh and prompt to sin. They are here 
called the "deeds of the body." Of this nature are thoughts of 
unbelief and distrust, coldness and indolence with respect to 
God's Word and prayer, carnal security and presumption instead 
of the fear of God, impatience and murmurings under suffering, 
anger and vindictiveness, or envy and hatred against our neigh- 
bor, avarice, unchastity and the like. Such inclinations as these 
dwell in flesh and blood and cease not to move and tempt man. 
Because of human infirmity they at times overtake him when 
he is not careful enough about transgression. They will surely 
overpower him unless he resolutely opposes them, and puts to 
death these "deeds of the body." To do this means a severe 
struggle, a battle, which never abates, nor ceases as long as we 
live. The Christian dare never become slothful or negligent in 
this matter. He must constantly put to death the flesh lest he 
himself be put to death by it. 

This constitutes the difference between those who are Chris- 
tians and sanctified and those who are without faith and the 
Holy Spirit, or who grieve and lose the Spirit. For although 
believers, as well as unbelievers, are not wholly free from the 
sinful lusts of the flesh, they yet remain in repentance and the 
fear of God ; they hold fast to the belief that their sins are for- 
given for Christ's sake, because they do not yield to them, but 
resist them. Therefore they continue under forgiveness, and 
their remaining infirmity is not fatal, nor damning to them as 



292 AUGUST EIGHTEENTH 

it is to those who, without repentance and faith, go on in carnal 
security and purposely follow their evil lusts against their own 
conscience, casting away from themselves both faith and the 
Holy Spirit. Having received the Holy Spirit, Christians are 
to comfort themselves with the fact that they have help and 
strength to resist and mortify sin. 

August iEujlfircutfj 

Take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt 
gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 
Gen. 6: 21. 

As the flood was to last a whole year, it was necessary to 
remind Noah of the food to be collected from the herbs and the 
fruits of the trees in order to preserve the life of man and of 
animals. Though the wrath of God was terrible to the destruc- 
tion of everything born on earth, yet the goodness of the Lord 
shines forth in this awful calamity. He looks to the preservation 
of man and the animals, and through their preservation to that 
of the species. The animals chosen for preservation received 
food suitable to their nature. As for man he did not yet use 
flesh for food. He ate only of the vegetation of the earth, which 
was far more desirable before the flood than at present, after the 
remarkable corruption of the earth through the brackish waters. 

It would have been an easy matter for God to preserve Noah 
and the animals for the space of a full year without food, as he 
preserved Moses, Elijah and Christ without food. But God 
in the government of the things created allows them to perform 
their functions. In other words, God performs his miracles 
along the lines of natural law. God also requires that we do 
not discard the provisions of nature, which would mean to tempt 
God, but that we use the things God has prepared for us with 
thanksgiving. A hungry man, who looks for bread from heaven, 



AUGUST NINETEENTH 293 

rather than tries to obtain it by human means, commits sin. 
Christ commands the apostles to eat what is set before them. 
Noah is here enjoined to employ the ordinary methods of gather- 
ing food. God did not command him to expect in the ark a 
miraculous supply of food from heaven. 

The life of the monks is all a temptation of God. They ab- 
stain from certain meats, though God has created them to be 
received with thanksgiving by them that believe, and by those 
who know the truth, that every creature of God is good and 
nothing to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving. 

We observe here the providence of God, by whose counsel the 
evil are punished and the good saved. By a miracle God preserves 
a portion of his creatures, when he punishes the wicked, and 
graciously makes provision for their posterity. 



August Ntetmttlj 



Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, 
so did he. Gen. 6: 22. 

This is the first passage in which praise for obedience to God 
is clothed in such a form of words. Later we find it stated 
repeatedly that Moses and the people did according to all that 
God commanded them. But Noah received commendation as 
an example for us. His was not a dead faith, which is no faith 
at all, but a living and active faith. He renders obedience to 
God's commands, because he believes both God's promises and 
threats ; and he carefully carries out what God commanded with 
reference to the ark, the gathering of the animals and the food. 
This is unique praise for Noah's faith, that he remains on the 
royal road — adds nothing, changes nothing and takes nothing 
from the divine command, but abides absolutely in the precept 
he has heard. 

It is the most common and the most noxious sin in the Church, 



294 AUGUST TWENTIETH 

that people either altogether change God's commands, or render 
something else paramount to them. They sin who swerve too 
much to the left by failing to perform the divine commands. 
Those who swerve to the right and do more than God has com- 
manded, like Saul when he spared the Amalekites, sin even more 
grievously. They add a sham piety. While those who err on 
the left cannot excuse their error, these do not hesitate to ascribe 
to themselves remarkable merit, and such error is exceedingly 
common. God is wont sometimes to command common, ridicu- 
lous and even offensive things; but reason delights in splendid 
things. From the common ones it shrinks or undertakes them 
under protest. Thus the monks shrank from home duties and 
chose for themselves others, apparently of greater glamor. To- 
day the great throng, hearing that common tasks are preached 
in the gospel, despise it as a common thing and lacking in ele- 
gance. Such is the madness of man's wisdom. 

Hence Moses rightly commends Noah's obedience when he 
says that he did everything the Lord had enjoined. That means 
to give God credit for wisdom and goodness. Noah kept his 
eye on the majesty of him who gave the command. That was 
enough for him, even though the command be absurd and ap- 
parently impossible. All such objections he passes by and takes 
his stand upon the one thing commanded by God. 



The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall 
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil. 4: 7. 

This is the true peace that satisfies and quiets the heart; not 
in times when no adversity is at hand, but in the midst of it, 
when outwardly there is nothing but strife. This is the difference 
between worldly and spiritual peace. Worldly peace consists 
in removing the outward evil that disturbs the peace ; when ene- 



AUGUST TWENTIETH 295 

mies besiege a city there is no peace ; but when they depart peace 
returns. Such is the case in poverty and sickness. While they 
afflict you, you are discontented ; but when they are removed 
and there is health and plenty, there is peace and rest again. 
He who experiences this peace is not changed, being just as faint- 
hearted whether the evil be present or not ; only he feels it and 
is frightened when it is present. 

Christian or spiritual peace, however, just turns the thing 
about, so that outwardly the evil remains, as enemies, sickness, 
poverty, sin, death and the devil. These are there and never 
desist, encompassing us on every side ; nevertheless, within there 
is peace, strength and comfort in the heart, so that the heart 
cares for no evil, is really bolder and more joyful in its presence 
than in its absence. Therefore it is peace which passeth and 
transcendeth all understanding and all the senses. Reason can- 
not grasp any peace except worldly or external peace; it knows 
not how to comfort or satisfy a person in times of affliction. But 
when the Spirit comes, he lets the outward adversity remain, but 
strengthens the person, making the timid fearless, changing the 
troubled into a quiet, peaceful conscience. 

Whence does he receive this? From his faith in Christ. For 
if I truly believe in the Lord from the depth of my heart, so 
that it can truly say: My Lord Christ has by his resurrection 
conquered my need, my sin, death and all evil, and will be with 
and in me; it is impossible for me to be faint-hearted and timid, 
no matter how much sin and death oppress me. If you look to 
Christ and believe on him, no evil that may befall you is so great 
that it can harm you and cause you to despair. Therefore it is 
impossible for the fruit of peace to be absent where faith is. 



296 AUGUST TWENTY-FIRST 



August ®ro*utg-ftrat 



Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 
Luke 6:36. 

How is God our heavenly Father merciful? In this that he 
gives us all things, natural and spiritual, temporal and eternal, 
gratuitously and out of pure goodness. For should he give unto 
us according to our merits, he would have to give us only eternal 
condemnation. Therefore what he gives us in our possessions 
and honor is given out of pure mercy. He sees that we are 
captives of death ; he is merciful and gives us life. He sees that 
we are the children of hell; but he is merciful and gives us 
heaven. He sees that we are poor, naked and exposed, hungry 
and thirsty; but he is merciful and clothes, feeds and gives us 
drink, and satisfies us with all good things. Thus, whatever we 
have, for the body or spirit, he gives us out of mercy, and pours 
his blessings over us and into us. Therefore Christ says : Imitate 
your Father and be also merciful as he is merciful. 

This is not a common mercy, nor one that reason teaches. 
For that is selfish ; it gives to the great and learned ; it loves 
those who are beautiful ; it gives to those from whom it has some 
benefit or advantage. It is a politic, beggarly, piece-meal 
mercy. Christians must not seek their own, but look at all alike, 
whether friend or foe, as our heavenly Father does. Where this 
mercy is not, there is also no true faith. For if your heart is 
not in the state of faith so that you know your God has revealed 
himself to you as good and merciful, without any merit on your 
part, while you were still an enemy and a child of wrath ; if 
you believe this, you cannot refrain from showing yourself in 
like manner to your neighbor, and do all, out of the love of God, 
for your neighbor's welfare. Therefore see to it that you make 
no distinction between friend and foe, the worthy and the un- 



AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND 297 

worthy. This has been said of faith and works, namely, that 
the motion of faith is inwards and upwards, of works, outward 
and downward. For thus we are righteous before God and 
men, in that we honor God and look direct to him and believe 
according to his Word, and in love do what we can for our 
neighbor. 

August ®to*tttg-0£nmin 

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, say- 
ing, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Luke 

5 :8. 

A sinful conscience is apt to do just as Peter does here, flee 
from its Saviour, and think: O God, I am not worthy to be 
saved and sit among the saints and angels ! That treasure is far 
too high for me ! But this is foolish ; for should you establish 
yourself upon your own holiness, you would build on the sand. 
Not until Peter considered himself unworthy did he become 
really worthy. Just because you are a sinful person you must 
the more trust in God. In this matter you must open wide and 
greatly expand your heart that grace may freely flow into it. 

It is proper that you know yourself, and the more thoroughly 
you do this, the better it is; but you must not on that account 
reject grace because of your sins. If you find that your con- 
science troubles you and would drive you to despair, you are 
most fortunate; then you will find consolation in the words of 
Micah and say: "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth 
iniquity and casteth our sins into the depths of the sea?" All 
gods that do not take away sin are idols. These wish to discover 
righteousness, but the Lord God brings it. Therefore when 
your God comes to you and your conscience feels its sins, you 
must not despair. The more you feel your disgrace, the quicker 
God imparts grace. 

The Scriptures praise God because he takes away sins and 



298 AUGUST TWENTY-THIRD 

casts them into the depths of the sea. Gods says: "I, even I, am 
he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake ; I will 
not remember thy sins." We cannot become rid of our sins by 
our works, nor become righteous by means of any power within 
ourselves. God will do that without merit and without works, 
out of pure grace. Therefore the more you feel that you are a 
sinful man and the more you wish to flee from God, the more 
you should press toward him. Do not desist, but approach God 
with renewed confidence and hold fast to him. 



August Stoeutg-ifjtrb 

The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 
James 1 : 20. 

To God alone belong honor, judgment, and vengeance, hence 
also wrath. But I fear this will not be done as long as we are 
in this life, and yet it would be grace, if we only became so pious 
as to make a beginning; for as soon as we suffer an injury, flesh 
and blood at once act as flesh and blood ; we begin to rage and 
rave in anger and impatience. It is natural for us to feel hurt 
when suffering, injustice and violence attack us, hence it be- 
comes necessary to check and restrain the feelings of anger and 
to resist them. The feeling that } r ou are injured will pass away, 
but that desire to avenge yourself in any way is prohibited. If 
you cannot secure your rights without doing greater harm, let 
it go. It is not good to check or punish one wrong with an- 
other, nor is God willing to have universal justice perish because 
of your petty claims. 

We know that God has committed the judiciary to the civil 
government and to that end established princes and lords, who 
bear the sword in God's stead. Aside from this they are per- 
sonally exactly like the other people are, having no more right 



AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH 299 

to be angry than any one else. The judge or executioner, in 
condemning and executing a man that never personally did them 
an injury, does so in God's stead, officiating in God's place, 
inasmuch as the malefactor has become liable to God's sentence 
and penalty. There should be no anger, nor bitterness in man's 
heart, while God's wrath and sword accomplish their work. 

The same holds good in war, when you must defend yourself, 
thrust, beat and burn, then wrath and revenge are likely to 
reign supreme, and yet it should not proceed from the heart of 
man, but emanate from divine authority and command, so that 
the wicked be punished and peace be maintained. Hence where 
such wrath exists it is not to be called man's wrath, but God's. 
When unhappily you commingle God's and man's wrath, it is 
the miserable doings of the devil. Thus the wrath of man is 
at all times full of envy to his neighbor, but God's wrath is 
administered according to his command and springs from a good 
heart, that deplores the fact that man should suffer any ill, and 
yet God must punish and abolish wickedness. 

August Sttintitj-fuurilj 

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons 
of God. Rom. 8: 14. 

Like ourselves, Paul had to deal with two classes of people, 
the true and the false Christians. There is not so much danger 
from the adversaries of the doctrine; their opposition is so open 
that we can readily beware of them. But since the devil sows 
his seed among us who are called Christians and boast of the 
gospel, it behooves us to take heed of those who claim to be 
Christians. It is easy enough to boast of God and of Christ and 
of the Spirit. But whether such boasting has any foundation 
depends on whether or not the Spirit so works and rules in us 
as to subdue and mortify sin. For where the Spirit is, there 



300 AUGUST TWENTY-FIFTH 

assuredly he is not idle, nor powerless. He proves his presence 
by ruling and directing man and prevailing on him to obey and 
follow his promptings. 

To be "led by the Spirit of God" means to be given a heart 
which gladly hears God's Word and believes that in Christ it 
has grace and the forgiveness of sins ; a heart which confesses 
and proves its faith before the world ; a heart which seeks, above 
all things, the glory of God, and endeavors to live without giving 
offense, to serve others and to be obedient, patient, pure and 
chaste, mild and gentle; a heart which, though at times over- 
taken in a fault, and may stumble, soon rises again by repentance 
and ceases to sin. All these things the Holy Spirit teaches one 
if he hears and receives the Word, and does not willfully resist 
the Spirit. 

The devil, who is also a spirit, persuades the hearts of the 
worldlings ; but it soon becomes evident that his work is not that 
of a good or divine spirit. For he leads men to do the reverse 
of that which the Spirit of God leads them to do ; they find no 
pleasure in hearing and obeying God's Word, but despise God, 
and become proud and haughty, avaricious, unmerciful. Let 
every one therefore take heed that he deceive not himself. For 
there are many who claim to be Christians and are not. We 
perceive this from the fact that not all are led by the Spirit 
of God. 

August Sfamtig-ftftlj 

/ therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk 
worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. Eph. 4:1. 

The chief thing that should influence a Christian's outward 
walk is the remembrance of his calling and appointment by God. 
He should be mindful why he is called a Christian, and live 
consistently. He must shine before the world ; that is, through 
his life and God's work, the Word and the name of Christ the 



AUGUST TWENTY-FIFTH 301 

Lord must be exalted. Paul would say: "You have received 
God's grace and his Word and are a blessed people. In Christ 
all your needs are happily supplied. Be mindful of this and 
remember you are called to a far different and vastly higher life 
than others know. Show by your manner of living that you 
seek a higher good than the world seeks, that you have, indeed, 
received far greater blessings. Let your lives honor and glorify 
the Lord who has given you such blessings. 

The so-called Christian life that does not honor Christ makes 
its sin the more heinous for the name it bears. Every sin the 
people of God commit is a provocation of Jehovah ; not only in 
the act of disobedience itself, but also in the transgression of the 
second commandment. The enormity of the sin is magnified by 
the conditions that make it a blasphemy of God's name and an 
occasion of offense to others. Paul says, "The name of God is 
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." So a Christian 
should by all means guard the honor of God in his life. He 
must take heed that he be not guilty of blaspheming that name 
and of doing wickedness. The devil, aided by the world, con- 
strues every act, when possible, to reflect upon God's honor and 
glory. His purpose is to injure the Church by charging offenses, 
thus deterring unbelievers from embracing the gospel and caus- 
ing the weak to fall away. 

To guard against such disaster, Christians should be particu- 
larly careful to give no occasion for offense in their conduct, 
and to value the name and honor of their God too highly to 
permit blasphemy of them. Let them remember that upon 
keeping sacred the name and honor of God depends their own 
standing before God and men. God promises, "Them that honor 
me will I honor." 



302 AUGUST TWENTY-SIXTH 



August Gtamtg-irixtlf 



While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold 
and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not 
cease. Gen. 8 : 22. 

Following this text, the Jews divide the year into six parts, 
each comprising two months. But it seems to me that Moses 
simply speaks of the promise that we need not fear another 
general flood. During the time of the flood such confusion 
reigned that there was no season, either of seedtime or harvest, 
and by reason of the great darkness caused by the clouds and 
the rain, day could not readily be distinguished from night. The 
meaning is simply that God here promises Noah the imminent 
restoration of the earth, so that the fields might again be sowed ; 
that the desolation caused by the flood should be no more ; that 
the seasons would run their course in accordance with regular 
law, harvest following seedtime, winter following summer, cold 
following heat in due order. 

This text should be carefully remembered in view of the 
common notions concerning the signs before the last day. Some 
declare there will be eclipses of ever so many days' duration. 
They say foolishly that for seven years not a single child will 
be born. But this text declares that neither day, nor night, 
neither summer, nor winter, shall cease ; therefore these natural 
changes will go on, and there will never be an eclipse which 
will rob human eyes of an entire day. 

Nor is it a phrase devoid of meaning when he says, "While 
the earth remaineth," for he gives us to understand that the days 
of this earth shall sometime be numbered, and other days, days 
of heaven, shall follow. As long as the days of the earth endure, 
so long shall the earth abide and with it the rotation of seasons. 
But when these days of the earth shall pass, then all these things 



AUGUST TWENTY-SEVENTH 303 

shall cease, and then shall follow days of heaven, that is eternal 
days. Then shall be one Sabbath after the other, when we 
shall not be engrossed with bodily labor for the purpose of 
gaining a livelihood ; for we shall be as the angels of God. Our 
life will be to know God, to delight in God's wisdom and to 
enjoy the presence of God. This life we attain through faith in 
Christ, in which may the eternal Father mercifully keep us, 
through the merit of his Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, by the 
ruling and guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

August 5toeutg~H*wutij 

/ have compassion on the multitude, because they have now 
been with me three days, and have nothing to eat. Mark 8 : 2. 

Behold, what a sympathetic Christ we have, who even pro- 
vides food for us. Here new hope is awakened and man is com- 
forted through the words of Christ, when he says: Here they 
are and listen to me until the third day. I must now give them 
also what they need. Here you see that all who faithfully cling 
to the Word of God will be fed by God ; for that is the nature 
and power of faith, which flows alone out of the Word of God. 

Therefore let us make a beginning to believe; for unbelief 
is the cause of all sin and vice, which now abounds in all stations 
of life. How does it come to pass that everywhere there are 
so many foolish women and rogues, so many rank impostors, 
thieves, robbers, usurers, murderers, and sellers of indulgences? 
It all comes from unbelief. For such men judge alone according 
to human reason, and the reason judges only according to that 
which it sees ; what it does not see it does not wish to accept. 

But Christ wishes to set before us a twofold picture, namely, 
one of faith, that we should not be overanxious; and also a 
picture of love, that as he does to us, is anxious about our wel- 
fare, feeds and clothes us out of free love, not for the sake of 



304 AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH 

his own advantage or because of our worthiness; so we should 
also do to our neighbor, freely and gratuitously, out of pure 
love. This is beautifully portrayed in the visible picture of the 
four thousand men who cling to God by a faith which says: 
God will indeed feed us. They commend themselves to God 
and freely lay all their need upon him. Then Christ comes, 
before they have any care and before they ask him to come, takes 
all more to heart than they do themselves, and says to his dis- 
ciples, "I have compassion on the multitude." In this confidence 
and hope let thy faith run its course, acknowledge that God is 
thy friend, flee to him in greatest need; believe and expect it 
and he will help thee ; this thou shouldst not doubt. In harmony 
with this thou shouldst serve thy neighbor freely and gratu- 
itously. 

August ®tu*utg-ngljilj 

They did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken 
meat that was left seven baskets. Mark 8:8. 

It is God's will that we do not squander his gifts uselessly; 
but be economical and prudent with them, and use the abun- 
dance which he gives faithfully for our benefits and needs, and 
preserve them for the future, when we may have further use for 
them. That is honoring the precious food and not permitting 
the crumbs to lie under the table; just as our fathers taught 
their children from this example and added the proverb: "He 
who saves when he has will find when he needs. It is a malig- 
nant, shameless vice and great contempt of the gifts of God, 
that the world is now overflooded with cloisters, pomp and ex- 
penditure of money for everything far beyond its ability to pay. 
From this then must follow such robbing, stealing, usury, hoard- 
ing and pinching by which the country and the people, rulers 
and subjects, are ruined as a punishment. 

We should not shamefully expend and destroy that which 



AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH 305 

we have in abundance and cannot enjoy either in our need or 
in our pleasure. If suchr is expended and destroyed in an un- 
christian manner, the poor have not only their little torn from 
their teeth by our greed, but we even merit that God does not 
permit us to enjoy that which we have raked together, extorted 
and saved by pinching. The jaws of avarice can devour the 
property of a prince faster than a whole city can give it to him, 
and yet no person is happy or better because of it. A prince 
must have more for banking, for sports, for display in dress than 
his people and country can afford. Consequently there is lack 
everywhere in those things we need for the Church and the 
school, for government and the common advantage of all, for 
our nourishment and necessities. 

It can no more be called enjoying the gifts of God, which 
he gives so richly and abundantly to the end for us to enjoy; 
for man will not use them in the praise of God and enjoy them 
for himself, but only for the dishonor of God and for the de- 
struction of the blessings given. No one has any thought of 
saving anything for posterity, but all live as if they rejoiced in 
destroying everything at once. But in all this destruction God 
will nevertheless help us, since we have no other desire. 



Aaguai afoientg-mntlj 



Beivare of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's cloth- 
ing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matt. 7: 15. 

We should well consider this passage, for Christ our Lord 
here commands and gives all Christians the power to be judges 
of all doctrine, and he gives them power to judge what is right 
and what is not. It is now well on a thousand years that this 
passage has been perverted by false Christians, that we have had 
no power to judge, but had to accept what the pope and the 
councils determined without any judgment of our own. Either 

Devotional Readings 20 



306 AUGUST THIRTIETH 



the gospel lies or the pope and the councils do. Christ says, we 
have the right to judge all doctrines, and whatever is proposed 
for us to keep or reject. The Lord does not speak to the pope 
here, but to all Christians. As the doctrine, "Whatsoever ye 
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them," is 
proclaimed to all; so likewise the words, "Beware of false 
prophets," exclude no one. 

Hence I say, Pope, you and the councils have resolved, and 
now I have to decide whether I may accept it or not, because 
you will not stand and answer for me when I die, but I must 
see to it myself how I stand before God, so that I may be certain 
of my fate. You must be certain in regard to this matter, that 
it is God's Word, as certain and more so than you are that you 
are living, for on this alone your conscience must rest. God 
commands his Word to be told you through men, and especially 
has he permitted it to be proclaimed and written for you by the 
apostles, who did not preach their own word, but God's W x ord. 
Surely a person can preach the Word to me, but no one is able 
to put it into my heart except God alone, who must speak to 
the heart, or all is in vain; when he is silent the Word is not 
spoken. Hence no one shall draw me from the Word which 
God teaches me. 

All this you must now believe, not as a word that Peter 
preached, but the Word that God has commanded you to believe. 
You must return to the gospel and observe where the foundation 
has its source; you must be judges and have the power to judge 
over all things that are offered you. But no one can judge false 
doctrine, except the man who is spiritual. 

August atytrttrtlj 

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall knoic them. Matt. 7 : 2 °- 

No one knows others by their fruits, except he who is born 

again. Therefore he who has not the Spirit cannot have this 



AUGUST THIRTIETH 3O7 



knowledge. The fruit by which we are to know them is un- 
belief. One can know them to some extent by open sins, yet 
this judgment is deceptive, for Christians also fall. Hence the 
fruit by which they are known is an inner fruit, and I must 
have the Holy Spirit and judge according to his guidance. The 
fleshly eye and reason are not sufficient. You may see two 
persons go to the Lord's Supper, the one is a believer, the other 
not, and yet their external work is the same. What then makes 
the difference? Faith in the heart and unbelief, because the 
one regards it as a good work, the other not. Tauler said that 
believers and unbelievers were often so similar in external ap- 
pearance that no one could distinguish them, nor is reason able 
to judge unless we have the Spirit of God. For this reason the 
decision and judgment of spiritual things should not be based 
on external things, as on the work and person, but on the inner 
condition of the heart. The fruits and the good works do not 
make any one pious or good; but he must first be good and 
pious at heart. The apples do not make the tree, but the tree 
must be there before the fruit. 

If I understand this, then I notice that there is no work so 
bad as necessarily to condemn a man, nor none so good as to 
save him. Faith alone saves us, and unbelief alone condemns 
us. The deed of the adulterer does not condemn him; the 
adultery only shows that he has fallen from the faith, and this 
condemns him. Nothing makes any one good but faith, and 
nothing makes one wicked but unbelief. The tree shall be cut 
down; he does not say, the fruit shall be cut down. Thus the 
works of love do not make me good, but faith, in which I do 
these works and bear this fruit. We must begin with faith, but 
the pope begins with works, just as though I could bear apples 
before I was an apple tree. Thus unbelief is the foundation 
of all sin. 



308 AUGUST THIRTY-FIRST 

AuguHt ®t}trtg-ftrat 

Who (God) hath made us able ministers of the new testa- 
ment; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, 
but the spirit giveth life. 2 Cor. 3 : 6. 

The "letter" is the whole law of Moses, or the doctrine of 
the ten commandments, which teach how we should obey God, 
honor parents, love our neighbors, and the like — the very best 
doctrine to be found in all books, sermons and schools. There 
is another message, which Paul terms the "ministration of a 
new covenant or of the Spirit." This doctrine does not teach 
what works are required of man; but it makes known to him 
what God would do for him and bestow upon him, indeed what 
he has already done ; he has given his Son Christ for us ; because, 
for our disobedience to the law, which no man fulfils, we were 
under God's wrath and condemnation. Christ made satisfac- 
tion for our sins, effected a reconciliation with God and gave 
to us his own righteousness. This doctrine is revealed through 
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of them 
who hear and accept the doctrine. Therefore this ministration 
is termed the ministration "of the Spirit." 

It is of design that the apostle does not term the two dispensa- 
tions "law" and "gospel," but names them according to the 
respective effects produced. For it is impossible to keep the law 
without Christ, though man may, for the sake of honor or prop- 
erty, or from fear of punishment, feign outward holiness. The 
heart which does not discern God's grace in Christ cannot turn 
to God, nor trust in him ; it cannot love his commandments and 
delight in them, but rather resists them. Therefore, God would 
have his gospel message unceasingly urged as the means of awak- 
ening man's heart to discern his state and recall the grace and 
lovingkindness of God, with the result that the power of the 



SEPTEMBER FIRST 3O9 



Holy Spirit is increased constantly. No influence of the law, 
no work of man is present here. The force is a new and heav- 
enly one — the power of the Holy Spirit. He impresses upon 
the heart Christ and his works, making it a true book which 
does not consist in tracing mere letters and words, but in true 
life and action. 



I^eptmbrr 3$\XBt 



He took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers 
into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking 
up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, 
Be opened. Mark 7: 33, 34. 

The people bring the poor man to the Lord, who takes him 
aside, lays his ringers into his ears, spits and touches his tongue 
with spittle, looks up toward heaven, and sighing says, Eph- 
phatha, that is, be opened. This is a lovely picture. Those who 
bring the deaf-mute to the Lord signify the office of the ministry. 
Apostles and ministers lead the poor consciences of men to God. 

This is done in three ways, by preaching, by a godly life and 
by intercession. With the preaching of the Word, though it 
be by a sinner, men are brought to God; a godly life serves to 
show the Word so much the mightier in its power; to pray for 
the people leads them on the road to faith and works. 

If the Word thus goes on its way in a threefold manner, it 
cannot fail to bring forth fruit. God says, "My Word, that 
goeth forth out of my mouth, shall not return unto me void." 
This is indicated by the bringing of the deaf-mute into Christ's 
presence. The ministers bring the sinners before God, who 
opens their eyes, ears and mouth. When persons are thus 
brought to God, he gives them grace to believe. By laying his 
fingers into the man's ears Jesus signifies that through the Word 
he breathes the Holy Spirit into him, and makes the heart be- 



3IO SEPTEMBER SECOND 



lieving, chaste and holy. The spittle laid on the man's tongue 
typifies the Word of God which is put into his mouth that he 
may be able to speak it. For wherever there is true faith, the 
Spirit will give you no peace. "I believe," says David, "there- 
fore have I spoken." 

That Christ takes the man aside and looks up to heaven 
teaches us that such power must come from heaven, working in 
the heart of man by divine power. Thus we must first hear the 
Word of God and, through the intercession of Christ, obtain 
faith. Then we will publicly confess and praise God forever. 



g>?pt?mbtt 9?om& 



Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have 
need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, hoiv 
dwelleth the love of God in him? I John 3: 17. 

John uses an illustration plain enough for any one to under- 
stand, and from which we may judge that the soul wanting in 
small duties will be deficient in great ones. According to the 
apostle, if one possesses this world's goods and sees his neighbor 
in want, being able to render assistance without injury to him- 
self, and closes his heart against him, not assisting him even 
with the slightest work of love, how^can the love of God dwell 
in him, since he appreciates it so little that he will not spare his 
needy brother a penny? How can he be expected to render a 
greater service — to lay down his life for his brother? What 
right has such a soul to boast that Christ has laid down his life 
for him and delivered him from death? 

Frequently people are found who have this world's goods and 
are able to help the needy, yet close their hearts against the un- 
fortunate. Where shall we find in imperial courts, among kings, 
princes and lords, any who extend a helping hand to the needy 
Church in the maintenance of the poor, of the ministry, and of 



SEPTEMBER THIRD 311 



schools? How would they measure up in the greater duty of 
laying down their lives for the brethren, and especially for the 
Christian Church? 

But the merely selfish may well escape our censure in com- 
parison to those who not only close their purses to the poor, but 
shamelessly and forcibly deprive and rob their needy neighbor 
of his own by overreaching, by fraud, oppression and extortion ; 
who take from the Church the property rightfully hers and 
especially reserved for her. Not only is the papistical rabble 
of to-day guilty of such sin, but many who would be known as 
evangelical practice the same fraud with reference to the pa- 
rochial estates and general property of the Church, and tyran- 
nically harass and torment the poor ministers. But oh, how 
heavy and terrible the impending judgment for those who have 
denied to Christ the Lord in his thirst even the cup of cold 
water. Therefore let him who would prove himself a Chris- 
tian show himself such by his deeds and works. 



g>?pt?mb£r Sljirb 



Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex. 20: 3. 

The Jews abstained outwardly from idolatry, but their hearts 
were far from God, full of mistrust and unbelief. Outwardly 
they appeared beautiful, as though they meant it in all sincerity, 
but within they were full of idolatry. They understood this 
law to mean no more than that they should not set up idols and 
images to worship, and when they could confess with their lips 
that they have only one God and honor no other gods, they 
thought they had kept this commandment. 

Now we must have high regard for the law. Thou, thou, it 
says, thou, and everything thou art; especially does it mean the 
heart, the soul, and all the powers. It does not speak of the 
tongue, or the hands, or the knees; but it speaks of the whole 



312 SEPTEMBER FOURTH 

body and of all thou hast and art. If I am to have no other 
God, then I must surely possess the only true God with my 
heart, I must in my heart be affectionate to him, evermore cleave 
to him, depend upon him, trust him, have my desire, love and 
joy in him, and always think of him. Thou shalt love God 
with all thy heart, so that thy whole body from the crown of 
the head to the soles of the feet, inwardly and outwardly, goes 
forth in love, rejoices in God and honors him. 

Now find me a man who is chaste and otherwise pious with 
a burning passion and love; there is none such on the earth. 
We find ourselves much more inclined to anger, hatred, envy, 
worldly pleasures. You see, you poor condemned creature, you 
should have delighted in God's law, and you have no pleasure 
in it. Had we now remained in this condemnation, we would 
have had to perish forever. Therefore Christ comes and offers 
his mercy, and says: You are to love God with all your heart, 
but you have not done it; now believe in me. Then when we 
come before God the Father, Christ will say : Father ! Although 
they have not wholly fulfilled thy law, yet I have done so, let 
this be to their benefit because they believe in me. 

BtpUmbtt Jfauritj 

Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they 
hear. Matt. 13: 16. 

Christ spoke these words especially to his disciples at the time 
when he was greatly moved with spiritual delight and praised 
his heavenly Father for the revelation of the gospel. He was 
especially anxious to speak with them because their own salva- 
tion also depended upon that revelation. They are nothing 
more than words of thanksgiving that the disciples lived in the 
time of the revelation of the gospel, which brings deliverance 
and salvation from sin and misery to the world. The beloved 



SEPTEMBER FIFTH 313 



prophets had prophesied of this time in a glorious manner, they 
longed for it beyond measure. Therefore, he would say, you 
are blessed and more than blessed ; for you now enjoy the truly 
golden year, the pure kingdom of grace and the blessed time; 
only be careful that you retain it and make good use of it. 

On the one hand he exhorts to thanksgiving for such grace ; 
and on the other he laments over the great ingratitude of the 
world, because there are so few people who know and receive 
this grace, and many even despise it. Therefore Christ especially 
turned to his disciples and praised them, as though he wished 
to say: Your eyes and ears are indeed blessed, which see and 
hear this gospel grace; alas, there are many eyes and ears that 
do not wish to see and hear it, although they have it right before 
them. This is a great and superabundant treasure, but the great 
mass of the people only despise it, and even persecute it. 

But the blessed treasure really depends upon a right seeing and 
hearing; for it is plainly revealed and stands in the clear light 
before their eyes. But the great mass cannot see nor under- 
stand it. What, did it help the Pharisees that Christ himself 
preached the gospel to them? What would it help all the 
fanatics and critics if forgiveness of sins were preached twice as 
clearly as it is? They are so completely chilled and choked 
with thoughts of their own conceits and pleasures dear to them 
that they can neither see nor hear anything else. But these are 
indeed blessed eyes and ears that can make a right use of the 
blessed time or dispensation of the gospel, and know what God 
has given them in it. 

B'tpttmbtt iFtfttj 

He commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and 
he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave 
to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before 
the people. Mark. 8: 6. 



314 SEPTEMBER FIFTH 



Christ commands the disciples to set the loaves before the 
multitude, by which he shows that he will administer his work 
and gifts through the instrumentality of human agencies. He 
thus teaches those who have an office or commission and those 
who stand before others faithfully and conscientiously to serve 
the people in obedience to Christ by cheerfully and meekly giv- 
ing of their own and imparting to others what God entrusted 
and gave to them. Especially would he teach them to be useful 
and bring comfort to the poor flock of Christians by their good 
example of faith and love in order to strengthen their faith and 
love. He here shows how he gives and will give rich blessings 
to the end that such office and service may accomplish much 
good, and bring forth much fruit. 

Let us also learn that the gifts and good things which God 
gives, are not profaned, if they are used in helping the poor in 
acts of charity, as Christ promises when he says: "Give, and 
it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and 
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your 
bosom." This has been experienced by many pious people 
everywhere who have liberally given before our time for the 
support of the ministerial office, schools, the poor and the like. 
God gave to them for so doing good times, peace and quiet. 
Hence arise the proverbs among the people which have been 
confirmed: One loses no time by going to church; giving alms 
does not impoverish; possessions unjustly gotten bring no bless- 
ing. 

But the world will not believe this. It goes on with its 
raking and scraping together of riches and will let no one be 
satisfied with what he has; every man desires more than his 
fellow and seeks riches by robbing, stealing and oppressing the 
poor. It is evident from this that there is no blessing in such 
riches ; but only the curse of God, misery, misfortune and agony 
of heart. Therefore a Christian should think much more of a 



SEPTEMBER SIXTH 315 



dollar that God gives him than of all the great treasures of the 
rich misers upon the earth. He has this beautiful treasure in 
his home which is called godliness, a peaceful quiet heart in 
God. 

Btpttvxbtt £>ixtlj 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father 
which is in heaven. Matt. 7: 21. 

If we are to do God's will, we must first know for a certainty 
what it is, and how to do it. This our own wisdom and 
thoughts do not teach, or all men, heathen and Turks, could 
do it as well, and every fanatic would come and pretend that 
whatever pleases him was God's will. Therefore we must 
hear God's Word alone, which reveals plainly unto us what the 
will of God, the Father, is. First that he has sent his only be- 
gotten Son into the world to reconcile us sinners unto God 
by his death, to purify and sanctify us through his blood with- 
out our merits ; this he has proclaimed to every one by the gospel, 
and requires 5 T ou to believe and accept it. Then, when we have 
received such grace and salvation, have been baptized into 
Christ and believe, his will is that we should afterwards live 
accordingly, obey God and do what is commanded in the ten 
commandments, every one in his calling confess God's Word, 
honor and support it, avoid and flee from sin, be good, patient, 
chaste, modest, kind, faithful and true. 

This God will have preached not only with the mouth, but 
in the heart and in the deed. Whoever neglects this or teaches, 
believes and acts contrary, should know that he has not done 
God's will and is already judged, that he does not belong to 
the kingdom of heaven, because he is without faith and love. 
It will do him no good to boast of Christ as though he were 



3l6 SEPTEMBER SEVENTH 

serving him faithfully, preached much and did great wonders. 
On the other hand, if you earnestly do this will of God, cheer- 
fully hear and believe God's Word, honor him and do good 
to your neighbor, you can bravely and joyfully say before God : 
Lord, Lord, and comfort yourself with the kingdom of heaven 
which God has given you. Whether on this account the world 
reviles and condemns you need not trouble you. For now you 
hear that God does not wish you to seek praise and honor when 
you say: Lord, Lord! But you are to do the deed and bear 
fruit of him, who does the will of God. Then measure all 
doctrine and life with this rule to the praise of God and you 
will not be deceived. 



September Bmmtif 

The apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. Luke 
17: 5. 

There are those who hear and read the gospel and what is 
said by faith, and immediately conclude that they have a cor- 
rect conception of what faith is. They think that faith is some- 
thing which is altogether in their own power to have or not 
to have, as any other natural human work. When in their 
hearts they begin to think that the doctrine is right, and believe 
it is true, they immediately conclude that faith is present. But 
as soon as they see and feel in themselves and others that no 
change has taken place, that they remain in their old ways, they 
conclude that faith is not sufficient, that they must have some- 
thing more and greater than faith. Then they cry: "Faith alone 
does not do it." Why? Because there are so many who be- 
lieve, and are no better than before. Such people are those 
whom Jude in his epistle calls dreamers, who deceive themselves 
with their own dreams. 



SEPTEMBER EIGHTH 317 



The true faith, of which we speak, cannot be manufactured 
by our own thoughts, for it is solely a work of God in us with- 
out any assistance on our part. It is God's gift and grace. 
Faith is something very powerful, active, restless, effective, 
which at once renews a person and regenerates him and leads 
him altogether into a new manner and character of life, so that 
it is impossible not to do good without ceasing. Just as natural 
as it is for the tree to produce fruit, so natural it is for faith 
to produce good works. 

Whoever has not this faith talks but vainly about faith and 
works, and does not know what he says. For he has not re- 
ceived it; he juggles with lies and applies the Scriptures where 
they speak of faith and works to his own dreams and false 
thoughts, which is purely a human work. Whereas the Scrip- 
tures attribute both faith and good works not to ourselves, but 
to God alone. We should therefore despair of ourselves and 
pray to God for faith as the apostles did. When we have faith 
we need nothing more, for it brings with it the Holy Spirit, who 
not only teaches us all things, but also firmly establishes us in 
them, and leads us through death and hell to heaven. 

Btpttmbn iEtgtjtlj 

When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over 
it, saying, If thou hadst known. . .the things which belong to thy 
peace! but now are they hid from thine eyes. Luke 19: 41, 42. 

If you only knew what belongs to your peace, you would yet 
this day consider, and redeem the time. But you are blind and 
will neglect the opportunity until there shall be neither help, 
nor counsel. The Jews were stubborn and depended on God's 
promises. They vainly thought they owned the temple, and that 
God dwelt there; besides, they thought they had mighty men, 
money and treasures enough to defy all their enemies. They 



3l8 SEPTEMBER EIGHTH 



trusted in their own glory and built their own confidence on a 
false delusion, which finally deceived and destroyed them. 

The Lord, however, saw deeper into the future than they 
when he said : O Jerusalem ! if thou hadst known what I know, 
thou wouldst seek thy peace. Peace in the Scriptures means 
that all things go well with us. You now think you have 
pleasant days, but if you knew how your enemies will encamp 
round about you, compass you about and hedge you in on every 
side, crush you to the ground and demolish all your beautiful 
buildings, and leave not one stone upon another, you would 
eagerly accept the Word, which brings solid peace and every 
blessing to you. 

God caused his threat to be executed; the city was besieged 
at the time of the Easter festival, when the Jews from every 
land were assembled within the walls of Jerusalem. There were 
together at that time about three million people. One hundred 
thousand would have been enough to crowd the city. But all 
this great multitude God in his wrath intended to bake, melt 
and weld together into one mass of ruin. The apostles and 
Christians were all out of the city. They had withdrawn and 
were scattered in Samaria, Galilee and among the heathen. 
Thus God separated and saved the good grain and heaped the 
chaff into one place. 

Here let us learn a lesson, for this concerns also us. God has 
now opened the precious treasures of his holy gospel unto us, 
by which we can learn God's will. Yet no one will earnestly 
believe it; we rather despise it and make light of it. God has 
great patience ; he waits to see how we will deal with his gospel ; 
but when we once let the opportunity slip, he will take his Word 
from us, and then the wrath which consumed the Jews will also 
consume us. 



SEPTEMBER NINTH 3 19 



g>?pt?mbtv Nttttlj 



Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your 
brethren that are in the world. I Pet. 5 : 9. 

This is a precious and comforting passage, the truth of which 
Peter learned, not only by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but 
from his own experience. One instance of his experience was 
when, in the high priest's house, he thrice denied his Lord, and 
soon thereafter fell into such anxiety and despair that he would 
have followed the traitor Judas had not Christ turned and 
looked on him. It was for this reason that Christ, so soon after 
his resurrection, first of all commanded that the glad tidings be 
announced to Peter. 

Weak Christians suffer beyond measure because they are 
plagued and beset so constantly by the devil. Their afflictions 
oppress them so sorely that they imagine no one suffers as 
severely as they do. Especially does this seem the case in the 
great spiritual temptations which come to those endowed with 
peculiar gifts and called to positions of prominence in the 
Church. Thus Paul often laments his great temptations, which 
the common people do not understand and cannot endure. These 
sufferings are often such that even the great and strong would 
languish and wither beneath them, were it not for the comfort 
God bestows. These troubles grip the heart and consume the 
very marrow. It is true that temptations differ and come from 
different sources, and so every one may imagine his own a 
peculiar kind, yet the sufferings and temptations of all Chris- 
tians are alike in this, that the devil tries to drive them all from 
the fear of and confidence in God into unbelief, contempt, 
hatred, and blasphemy against God. 

Amid such temptations Peter comforts suffering Christians 
by telling them that they are not the first, nor the only ones, to 



320 SEPTEMBER TENTH 



be thus assailed. They are not to feel as if it were a wonderful 
and unheard of cross which they bear and were bearing it alone. 
They are to know that their brethren, Christians of all times, 
and scattered through all the world, must suffer the same things 
at the hands of Satan and his minions. It assuages and comforts 
the sufferer beyond measure to know that he does not suffer 
alone, but with a great multitude. 

BtpUmbtt Stetttlj 

They bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impedi- 
ment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon 
him. Mark 7 : 32. 

In this text both faith and love are presented to us. Faith, 
in that these people had before heard how kind and compas- 
sionate Jesus was and how he had helped those who had 
come to him. Although the text does not state this, yet we 
must so conclude, and the facts prove that they must have previ- 
ously heard the good tidings of Christ the Lord, on account of 
which they believed. This was the beginning of their faith. 
For the Word must first have been heard, and must have en- 
tered the human heart, showing the mercy of God in such a way 
as to create faith. Then they clung to these tidings, trusted 
them, went thither, and hoped to receive of him what they had 
heard. In this way faith grows out of the Word of God. We 
must, therefore, earnestly search the gospel in order thus to lay 
the first stone. The Word first informs us of the mercy and 
goodness of God; faith then lays hold on the Word with firm 
confidence, and we obey it. We now become conscious of it in 
our hearts and are satisfied. For as soon as we believe we are 
already justified and are with Christ in his inheritance. 

This text also sets forth the works of love in this, that these 
people go and take care of this poor man, just as Christ sent 



SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH 321 

forth the tidings to them, showing his goodness and mercy, 
without any merit in them or their efforts to obtain it. As soon 
as they lay hold on that mercy and drink from its fountain, they 
again send it forth freely and impart it to their neighbor. These 
people do not need this work themselves, they are not looking 
for a reward, nor do they even think of themselves, but are only 
thinking of the poor man and how they may help him. So 
Christians should carefully consider how love works and how 
it cares for others. ''Love seeketh not its own." "Look not 
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things 
of others." 

Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but 
ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
Father. Rom. 8:15. 

This is a noble and comforting text, worthy of being written 
in letters of gold. Because ye now through faith, he means to 
say, have the Holy Spirit and are led by him, ye are no longer 
in bondage as ye were when under the law; ye need no longer 
be afraid of its terrors and its demands, as if God would con- 
demn and reject you on account of your unworthiness and the 
remaining infirmity of your flesh. But ye have the consolation 
that, through faith, ye have the assurance of God's grace, and 
may consider God your Father and call upon him as his children. 

Paul speaks of the "spirit of bondage" and the "spirit of 
adoption" according to the customs of his times. In those days 
man-servants and maid-servants were the property of the master 
of the house in the same sense that a cow was his property. He 
bought them with his money; he did with them as he pleased, 
just as with his cattle. They were afraid of their master and 
had to expect stripes, imprisonment and punishment even unto 

Devotional Readings 21 



322 SEPTEMBER TWELFTH 

death. They could only say: Here I serve for my bread only; 
I have nothing to expect but stripes, and must be content to 
have my master cast me out or sell me to some one else when- 
ever he chooses. They could never have a well-grounded hope 
of release from such fear and bondage and coercion. 

Such a slavish, captive, fearful and uncertain spirit ye do 
not have, says the apostle. Ye are not compelled to live con- 
tinually in fear of wrath and condemnation as are the followers 
of Moses and all who are under the law. On the contrary, ye 
have a delightful, free spirit, one confident and contented, such 
as a child entertains toward its father, and ye need not fear that 
God is angry with you or will cast you off and condemn you. 
'For ye have the Spirit of his Son in your hearts and know that 
ye shall remain in his house and receive the inheritance, and 
that ye may comfort yourselves with it and boast of it as being 
your own. 

As he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men 
that were lepers, which stood afar off : and they lifted up their 
voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Luke 17: 
12, 13. 

This is a plain, simple history or transaction, which requires 
little explanation. Yet as plain as it is, great is the example 
it presents to us. In the leper it teaches us faith, in Christ it 
teaches us love. Now, faith and love constitute the whole char- 
acter of the Christian. Faith receives, love gives. Faith brings 
man to God, love brings man to his fellow man. Through faith 
he permits God to do him good, through love he does good to 
his brother. For whoever believes has everything from God, 
and is happy and rich. He needs nothing more and does and 
orders all things for the good and benefit of his neighbor. 



SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH 323 

Through love he does to his neighbor as God did to him through 
faith. He reaps good from above through faith, he gives good 
below through love. 

It is characteristic of faith boldly to trust God's grace, and 
to form a bright vision and refuge in God, doubting nothing. 
Where there is no true faith there is no true prayer, nor 
any seeking after God. But where it exists it makes man bold 
and anxious freely to bring his troubles unto God, and earnestly 
to pray for help. It is not enough to believe there is a God, 
and pray many words as the wretched custom is now. But 
observe in the leper how faith is constituted, how without any 
teacher at all it teaches us how our prayers may be truly fruit- 
ful. You here observe how they had a good opinion of and a 
comforting assurance in Christ, and firmly thought he would 
be gracious to them. This thought made them bold and anxious 
to bring their troubles to him, and to cry for help with great 
earnestness and a loud voice. 

Luke does not relate three things of the lepers in vain: first, 
that they went to meet him; second, they stood; third, they 
lifted up their voices. By these three things their strong faith 
is commended to us as an example. The going forth to meet 
him is the boldness excited by comforting assurance. The stand- 
ing is the firmness and sincerity against doubt. The lifting up 
of the voice is the great earnestness in prayer, growing out of 
such confidence. 

The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some 
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced them- 
selves through with many sorrows. I Tim. 6: 10. 

We see from daily experience what a shameful and accursed 
vice covetousness is, and what harm it does, especially in high 



324 SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH 

places, whether clerical or lay. If the money fiend has taken 
possession of a pastor's or preacher's heart, so that like the rest 
of the world he aims at securing for himself great riches, then, 
like Judas, the traitor, he has already fallen into the jaws of 
the devil and is prepared to betray Christ, his Word and his 
Church for a few pieces of silver. Thus the pope has introduced 
all sorts of idolatries and abominations in the name of God and 
the Church in order to secure and maintain his riches and 
dominion; he has led multitudes of souls to the devil, so filling 
them with false terrors of his ban that no one dares to say a 
word against it. 

How harmful it is in civil government when lords and princes 
are dominated by this shameful vice, aiming to appropriate 
everything to themselves! On this account they forget to exer- 
cise their princely office so as to be of help to the land and 
people over whom they have been placed as lords for this pur- 
pose, and thus they have forfeited the commendation and love, 
which they should receive with all honor and praise as the 
fathers of their people and their country. They do not concern 
themselves about the spread of God's Word, the administration 
and support of churches and schools, or the maintenance of law 
and order among their subjects. They permit destitute pastors 
with their wives and children, the widows and orphans, to suffer 
injustice, violence and want. In the meantime they go about 
with their tax lists, and consider only how they may collect 
money enough for their extravagant expenditures and pomp. 

Nowadays every one who has the power by means oi his 
money impoverishes his neighbors and thus sets God and con- 
science aside. Upon such unchristian doings must come the 
fearful wrath and punishment of God. The time will come 
when he will turn us out of doors; since we do not heed his 
Word and admonition, he himself may put a forcible end to 
this godless business. This the believer escapes who with godly 



SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH 325 

fear quietly occupies his station in life, satisfied with the things 
that God gives him. 

He went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold 
therein, and them that bought; saying unto them, It is written, 
My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of 
thieves. Luke 19: 45, 46. 

Here the Lord tells us what the temple of God is: "My house 
shall be called a house of prayer for all people." This is a strong 
passage. The words, "for all people," "for all Gentiles," is 
against the Jews, who trusted in the temple of God at Jerusa- 
lem, and thought that it was impossible for God to demolish 
this temple or destroy this city. They stoned Stephen, because 
he said, "Jesus shall destroy this place, and shall change the 
customs which Moses delivered to us." But we must rightly un- 
derstand this expression, that the city of Jerusalem, the temple 
and the people, should remain until the time of Christ. With 
this agree all the prophets, who have given all things into the 
hands of Christ; as he would then dispose of them, so it would 
be and remain. 

It is true that God himself had established the temple at 
Jerusalem and had himself consecrated and sanctified it with 
his Word, when he said: This house is my house! for his Word 
was preached in it. Wherever God's Word is preached, there 
is God's own true house, there God most certainly dwells with 
his grace. Wherever his gospel is, there is a house of prayer, 
there men shall and may truly pray and God will also hear 
their prayer. But where the Word of God is not found, there 
the devil has full sway. 

That we have imitated the Jews and have built so many 
churches would be well enough, if we had done it in order that 



326 SEPTEMBER FIFTEENTH 

the Word of God might be preached there ; for where the Word 
goes there God is present and pours out his grace. But Jesus 
says to the Jews: You have made my house a den of thieves. 
Truly he gives it a scandalous name. But he does it because 
they no longer respect the house of God, but make it a market 
house. The priests did not inquire whether the Word of God 
was preached in it, although they sang and babbled and read 
the prophets and Moses. But God cares nothing for such 
babbling of psalms, and Christ is therefore justly angry at such 
a desecration of his temple by these bloated misers, who not 
only forsake the true worship of God, but trample it under 
their feet. 

September Jfttfimtttf 

John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the 
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 
i : 29. 

With reference to the forgiveness of sins let me say that you 
will not find anything in your heart with which you can pay 
them off, nor raise any funds for which God might recognize 
you and cancel the debt in the ledger. But if you seize Christ 
as the one who has become your substitute, who has taken your 
sin upon himself, and who has given himself with all his merit 
and worthiness for you, no sin can avail anything against you. 
If I am a sinner, he is holy and Lord over sin, death, Satan and 
hell, so that no sin can harm me, because he has been given me 
as my righteousness and salvation. 

Through grace we have, indeed, the forgiveness of all sins, 
but in no way except in and through Christ alone, and in him 
only it must be sought and can be obtained. Whoever will 
come before God with any kind of work, which God is to rec- 
ognize as meritorious for obtaining grace, will be disappointed 
and deceived, yea, instead of grace he will heap wrath upon him- 



SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH 327 

self. All other ways and means are condemned as the doctrines 
of devils, as when men are led and directed to their own works, 
or to the holiness and merits of others, as of the saints who have 
led ascetic lives or have suffered and expiated a great deal; or 
as those have done who have comforted people in the throes of 
death by admonishing them to suffer death willingly for their 
sins. Whoever dares to offer anything else for sin or to atone 
for it himself does nothing less than deny the Lord Jesus Christ, 
disgrace and slander him, as if the blood of Christ were of no 
more consequence than our repentance and satisfaction, or were 
not sufficient to take away all the sins of the world. 

Would you, then, be freed from 3^our sins, you need not 
chastise yourself with them, nor have anything to do with them, 
but simply creep under the wings and into the bosom of Christ, 
as he is the one who has taken them away and has laid them 
upon himself. 



Btpttmbtr 9tef mttl} 



Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
mind. Luke 10: 27. 

God is a jealous God and cannot suffer us to love anything 
above himself. God allows us indeed to love his creatures ; they 
were created for this purpose and are good. All things that are 
attractive and beautiful by nature cause us to love them. This 
God permits us to do. But that I should cling to the creature 
and love it with the same love with which I love God, the 
Creator, this he cannot and will not allow. The love of the 
creature should stand far, far below our love to him; and as 
he is the chief good, his will is also to be loved in the highest 
degree above all other good. 

To love God with all the heart is to love him above all crea- 



328 SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH 

tures. I must be affectionate towards him, evermore cleave to 
him, depend upon him, trust him, have my desire, love and joy 
in him, and always think of him. To love God with all the 
soul is to devote your entire bodily life to him. The soul in 
the Scriptures signifies the life of the body, which acts through 
the five senses, seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, 
and everything that the soul does through the body, as eating, 
drinking, sleeping. All this I will give up before I forsake my 
God, you must be able to say. To love God with all our 
strength is to devote all our members and whatever we may be 
able to do through our bodies to the love of God, and sacrifice 
all rather than do anything contrary to his will. To love God 
with all the mind is to take to nothing except what is pleasing 
to God. 

But there is not a man on earth who thus fulfils the law. 
Thus this law makes us all sinners in that not the least letter 
of this commandment is fulfilled even by the most holy person 
in the world. No one clings so firmly to God with all the heart, 
that he would forsake all things for God's sake. What would 
we do if we had to give our lives for God's and Christ's sake? 
Still the law requires it. Therefore it is safer to confess that 
we are sinners, than to have respect to our works and beautiful, 
glittering lives. 

September 9?t!ttttmttlf 

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your 
wrath. Eph. 4: 26. 

This passage sounds as though permission were given to be 
angry. But Paul is taking into consideration the way of the 
world. Men are tempted and moved to anger. There are no 
clean records. Under sudden provocation the heart swells with 
ire, while the devil lustily fans the flame; he is ever alert to 



SEPTEMBER SEVENTEENTH 329 

stamp us with his seal and image and make us like unto himself, 
either through error and false doctrine, or through wrath and 
murder in conflict with love and patience. These two forms 
of evil you will encounter, especially if you make an effort to be 
a godly Christian, to defend the truth and to live uprightly in 
the sight of all. You w T ill meet with all manner of malice 
aforethought and deceit, and with faithlessness and malignity 
on the part of those you have benefited. This will hurt you and 
move you to wrath. In your own house and among your dear 
Christian brethren you will often meet with that which vexes 
you; a word of yours may hurt their feelings. It will not be 
otherwise. This life of ours is so constituted that such con- 
ditions will exist. Flesh and blood cannot but be stirred at 
times by wrath and impatience, especially when it receives evil 
for good; the devil is ever at hand kindling your anger and 
endeavoring to fan into a blaze the wrath and ill humor between 
yourself and your neighbor. 

But right here, says the apostle, you should beware and not 
sin; not give rein, nor yield to the impulse and promptings of 
wrath. That you may indeed be moved, the apostle would say, 
I well know, and you may fancy you have the best of reasons 
for exhibiting anger and vengeance; but beware of doing what 
your wrath would have you do; if overcome by wrath and led 
to rashness, do not continue in it, do not harbor it, but subdue 
and restrain it, the sooner the better. Do not surfer it to take 
root or to remain with you over night. If followed, wrath 
will cause you to fall and sin against God and your neighbor. 
When wrath attacks you, go into your chamber, pray the Lord's 
Prayer and confide in God; he will uphold your right. 



330 SEPTEMBER EIGHTEENTH 



BtpUmbn ?EtgI|t^tttIf 



The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as 
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be 
merciful to me a sinner. Luke 18: 13. 

Surely this is the art of a great master, which is entirely for- 
eign to, high and far above human understanding. Reason can- 
not harmonize what this publican has here put together to con- 
struct a prayer from words entirely opposed to each other. It 
does not at all seem proper that such a sinner and condemned 
person should dare come before God and pray. Sin and mercy 
are opposed to each other, like fire and water. Mercy does not 
belong where sin abounds, but wrath and punishment. How 
then does this man discover the art to harmonize and unite them, 
and how dare he desire and call for grace to cover his sins ? To 
this belongs more than to know the law and the ten command- 
ments, an art, of which the Pharisee knew nothing at all. 

This is preaching the precious gospel of God's grace and mercy 
in Christ, which is published and offered to condemned sinners 
without any merit of their own. The publican must have heard 
of this, and the Holy Spirit must have touched and moved his 
heart with it, as he feels his sins through the law, that he comes 
before God and offers his prayer, that he certainly believes as 
he has heard from the Word of God, that God will be merciful 
and forgive sins, will turn away his wrath and eternal death 
for the sake of his Son, the promised Messiah. Such faith united 
and bound together these two opposing elements in this prayer. 

This preaching of the gospel is heard by many, and it appears 
an easy matter to say it ; but it is not as common as men think. 
No one better understands how difficult it is than the few who 
study and exercise themselves to believe and pray like the 
publican. The reason of this is, that the pious Pharisee is 



SEPTEMBER NINETEENTH 33 1 

still within us and hinders us from thus uniting them. Thus 
you have in this publican a beautiful example of true Christian 
repentance and faith. He gives honor and praise to God alone 
for his divine grace ; he prays to him from the heart and in true 
confidence in his Word and promise. You see here an excellent 
masterpiece of spiritual wisdom and the proper fruits that fol- 
low faith. 

ifrtptmbtt Sftitrtrnttf} 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and 
all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6: 33. 

This is the chief passage in this sermon, and states the manner 
in which we are to proceed to obtain the divine or eternal gift, 
and what we need for this life. Would you rightly look to that 
of which it behooves 5 T ou to take care, then let this be the first, 
aye, your only care, that you strive according to God's Word 
to do your duty, to serve him in his kingdom as his Word teaches 
you — for in this consists the righteousness belonging to this 
kingdom — and to prize his Word more highly than all per- 
taining to this temporal life. 

If you have done this j^ou have done well and provided well, 
and you need not take any further burdens upon you, nor cherish 
any cares in your heart; indeed, it should be much too small a 
thing for you to care for so slight a matter as the wants of your 
daily bread, and thus to aggrieve yourselves. Rather do this for 
the honor of God and for your own benefit, that you strive after 
the great and eternal good ; if you attain and keep this, the rest 
will surely take care of itself. Neither can you obtain it from 
God in any better way than by first seeking and asking of him 
great things. 

It is to his liking that we ask great things of him, and he is 
pleased to give them. Since he gladly gives great things, he 



332 SEPTEMBER TWENTIETH 

will not stint the small things, but will throw them into the 
bargain. God has often caused many pious people, who have 
helped in building up God's kingdom, have served the Church 
and furthered God's Word, to experience this. God has richly 
blessed them with goods and honor. This is evidenced not only 
by the examples of the Scriptures, but also by the history of 
some of our pious kings and princes, who, having liberally given 
for the ministry and for schools, have not become poorer, but 
were more richly blessed of God and have reigned in peace, in 
victory and good fortune. God would gladly do this still, if 
the world would happily follow the well-meant advice which is 
given here, and not with unbelief, greed and unchristian schem- 
ing rage against his Word to its own harm and ruin. 



September afatfttttrttj 



Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow 
shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the 
day is the evil thereof. Matt. 6: 34. 

The world is always anxious about the future, and thinks 
thereby to be removed from danger and to protect and support 
itself. It sees not its own vanity, and that its projects may be 
wrong; that it is true and experience testifies, as Christ here 
says, that each day brings its own misfortune and evil. Thus 
it happens with such plottings and prudence of its own, with 
which it means to insure itself and to forestall all coming danger, 
the world only causes more woe and harm. Whenever world- 
lings see that things do not go as they expected, or that an 
accident happens, they begin to despond, think of one remedy 
and another, and imagine they must look for help, protection 
and safety, wherever they can and as best they can. They begin 
to patch and think to help matters by all sorts of strange crafti- 



SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIRST 333 

ness and practices against God and their consciences to which 
they are driven by unbelief. Hence comes so much misfortune, 
misery, murder, war, and all misdoings of the wicked world. 
Each one means to carry out his affairs without God, to oppress 
and choke every one who would hinder them, and to throw all 
things higgledy-piggledy in a heap, rather than desist from his 
intent. From this all order is destroyed and naught but evil 
grows in governments and all other affairs. 

Against this Christ would caution his believers that they may 
not waver, nor stake their affairs on that which is uncertain, 
vainly caring for the future, but at all times do that which is 
right; that they may not worry at the outcome of things, nor 
allow themselves to be swerved by future and uncertain good 
or evil. He would rather commend care to God, and then take 
everything that happens to them in good part and overcome it 
with faith and patience. On earth it cannot be otherwise than 
that each one in his daily calling meets with things other than 
he welcomes, which cause him trouble and labor. Hence Christ 
calls this life daily evil or misfortune. He would have us know 
it and be prepared for it, and not hanker after the world and 
become partakers in its unrighteousness and evil affairs, which 
lead us and others into ruin and damnation. 



The Spirit itself beareth zvitness with our spirit, that we are 
the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, 
and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, 
that we may be also glorified together. Rom. 8 : 16, 17. 

Here you have the great boast, the honor and glory of the 
Christian. Leave to the world its splendor, its pride and its 
honors, w T hich mean nothing else — when it comes to the point 



334 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIRST 

— than that they are the children of the devil. But consider 
the marvel of this, that a poor, miserable sinner should obtain 
such honor with God as to be called, not a servant of God, but 
a son and an heir of God. Any man might well consider it a 
privilege to be called one of God's lowest creatures; but the 
apostle declares that we who believe in Christ shall be his heirs, 
his sons and daughters. Who can sufficiently magnify God's 
grace? But the apostle adds the words, "if so be that we suffer 
with him," to teach us that while we are on earth we must so 
live as to approve ourselves good, obedient children, who do not 
obey the flesh, but who for the sake of this dominion endure 
whatever befalls them or causes pain to the flesh. 

O how noble it is in a man not to obey his lusts, but to resist 
them with a strong faith, even though he suffer for it! To be 
the child of a mighty and renowned king or emperor means to 
possess nobility, honor and glory on earth. How much more 
glorious it would be, could a man truthfully boast that he is the 
son of one of the highest angels! Yet what would all that be 
compared with one who is named and chosen by God himself, 
and called his son, the heir of exalted divine majesty? Such 
sonship and heritage must assuredly imply great and unspeak- 
able glory and riches, and power and honor, above all else that 
is in heaven or on earth. This very honor, even though we had 
nothing but the name and fame of it, ought to move us to 
become the enemies of this sinful life on earth and to strive 
against it with all our power, notwithstanding we should have 
to surrender all for his sake and suffer all things possible for a 
human being to suffer. But the human heart cannot grasp the 
greatness of the honor and glory to which we shall be exalted 
with Christ. It is altogether above our comprehension or 
imagination. 



SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SECOND 335 

September ofattttty-Bernttft 

(Jesus said,) Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that 
was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to 
his mother. Luke 7: 14, 15. 

These words are instantly followed by such power and efficacy 
that the dead man did not lie as before, but sat up, bound and 
covered as he was, began to speak and showed that he was no 
longer dead, but alive. This was a wonderful and quick change 
from death to life. Where the spark of life had long been ex- 
tinguished and there was no sign of life, there are fully and 
instantly restored breath, blood, sensibility, movement, thought, 
speech and everything else that belongs to life. Christ, with one 
word, turned the sad and sorrowing procession into a joyous, 
lovely and beautiful procession of life, in which both the youth, 
carried by four or more to be buried under ground, and his 
mother, joyously follow the Lord Jesus into the city, accompa- 
nied by the whole crowd, forgetting death, the bier and the 
grave, and speaking joyously and thankfully only of life. 

But the glory and honor of this work belong to the Lord 
Jesus, through whose power and authority alone death can be 
removed and life brought forth from it. Hence the fame and 
report concerning Christ, of which the gospel speaks, saying that 
it went forth throughout the whole country, is recorded for our 
consolation and joy over against the fear and dread of death, 
that we may know what kind of a Saviour we have in Christ. 
He so manifested himself on earth in his ministry and form of 
a servant, that he can be known as the Lord both of death and 
life, to destroy the former and bring the latter to light. He 
met death and fought with it, as in the case of Jairus' daughter 
and again that of Lazarus, and at last in his own person, when 
he finally overcame and destroved it. 



336 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-THIRD 

We should learn to believe this and comfort ourselves in the 
hour of death and in all other times of distress. We should be 
firmly assured that in Christ we have obtained victory over 
death and life. Yea, the more misery and death are in us, the 
more richly we shall find comfort and life in him, provided we 
hold fast to him by faith, to which he spurs us on and admon- 
ishes us both through his Word and by such examples as the one 
mentioned above. 

Btpttmbtt ®tu^tttg-tl|trb 

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
Matt. 22: 37. 

Consider it an established fact that reason can never under- 
stand and fulfil the law, even though it knows the meaning of 
the law. Human nature alone will never be able to accomplish 
what God requires in this commandment, namely, that we sur- 
render our will to the will of God, so that we renounce our 
reason, our will, our might and power, and say from the heart : 
Thy will be done. You will nowhere find a person who loves 
God with his whole heart and his neighbor as himself. It may 
indeed happen that two companions live together in a very 
friendly manner, but even there hypocrisy is hidden, which con- 
tinues until you are offended by him ; then you will se how you 
love him, and whether you are flesh or spirit. But this com- 
mandment requires me to be friendly with all my heart to him 
who has offended me. 

Take to yourself this commandment: Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and think upon it; how far 
you are from fulfilling it, that you have not yet made a begin- 
ning to suffer and to do from the heart what God demands of 
you. When God does our pleasure, then we can easily say: 



SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH 337 

How I do love God, he is my Father! How gracious he is to 
me ! But when he sends misfortune and adversity, we no longer 
regard him as our God, nor as our Father. True love to God 
does not act in this way, but thinks in the heart and says with 
the lips: Lord God, I am thy creature; do with me as thou 
wilt; if thou desirest, I will suffer any misfortune or die this 
very hour; I will cheefully do so. But you will never find a 
person who will always regulate himself according to this com- 
mandment. 

Therefore there is no human being who is not condemned, 
for no one has kept this commandment, and God requires every- 
one to keep it. We stand in the midst of fear and distress, 
unable to help ourselves. Our human nature is unable to keep 
the law, which wants the heart, and unless done from the heart, 
it avails nothing before God. This is never done except man 
is born anew through the Holy Spirit. When you realize this, 
the law has accomplished its work. 

By the law is the knowledge of sin. . . For all have sinned ', 
and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by 
his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Rom. 
3 : 20—24. 

The law is known when I learn from it that I am a sinner 
and am condemned, and see that there is no hope nor comfort 
anywhere for me, and I cannot help myself, but must have an- 
other one to deliver me. Then is the time I look around for 
him who can help, and he is Christ Jesus, who for this purpose 
became man, like unto us, in order that he might help us out of 
the mire into which we have fallen. He loved God with all 
his heart and his neighbor as himself, and submitted his will to 
the will of his Father, fulfilled the law in every respect ; this I 

Devotional Readings 22 



338 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH 

could not do and yet I was required to do it. God accepts him ; 
and that which he fulfilled in the law, he offers me. He freely 
gives me his life with all his works, so that I can appropriate 
them to myself as a possession that is my own and is bestowed 
upon me as a free gift. 

Christ has through his death secured for us the Holy Spirit; 
he fulfils the law in us and not we. For that Spirit, whom God 
sends into 5^our heart for the sake of his Son, makes an entirely 
new man out of you, who does with joy and love from the heart 
everything the law requires, which before would have been im- 
possible for you to do. This new man submits himself wholly 
and entirely to the will of God. Whatever God does with 
him, is well pleasing to him. This Spirit you cannot merit your- 
self, but Christ has secured it. When I believe from the heart 
that Christ did this for me, I receive also the same Holy Spirit 
that makes me an entirely new man. Then everything God 
commands is sweet, lovely and agreeable, and I do what he 
desires of me ; not by my own strength, but by the the strength 
of him that is in me, as Paul says, "I can do all things through 
Christ that strengtheneth me." 

But take heed that you do not undertake to secure this faith 
in Jesus Christ by your own works or power. The Holy Ghost 
must do it, and faith alone is sufficient to this end. Our good 
works are for another purpose, namely, to prove our faith. 



When he (Jesus) came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, 
there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, 
and she was a widow. Luke 7: 12. 

This was indeed a sad condition in the life of the widow. 
She had lost her husband, and now her only son, whom she 
loved, had died. Among those people it was regarded a great 



SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH 339 

misfortune, if parents could not leave their name, or children. 
They regarded this a great disfavor of God. Hence the widow, 
who, after the death of her husband, had placed all her hope 
and comfort in her only son, must have had great sorrow when 
her son was torn from her* and she had nothing left on earth. 
She undoubtedly thought: You are also one of the accursed 
women to whom God is such an enemy as to compel you to pass 
from the earth without leaving an offspring. 

Therefore this woman had great sorrow, not only because 
she had been robbed of her husband and afterwards of her son, 
the family being thereby destroyed before her eyes; but, what 
seemed far more serious, she was forced to think: Now I see 
that God is unfavorable to me and I am cursed ; for this punish- 
ment has been executed upon me, because God in the Psalms 
and the Prophets has threatened the ungodly to destroy them 
root and branch. This has happened to me. If some one had 
then said to her : Thy son shall live again before thine eyes, she 
would undoubtedly have replied: Alas! do not mock me in my 
deep sorrow. Grant me at least so much that I may bewail my 
great misery, and do not add to it by mockery. 

But all this is portrayed here that we might learn that with 
God nothing is impossible, whether it be misfortune, calamity, 
anger, or whatever it may be, and that he sometimes allows mis- 
fortune to come upon the good as well as upon the wicked. Yea, 
God even permits at times the ungodly to sit at ease, and meet 
with success in all their undertakings, while he appears to the 
pious as if he were angry with them and unfavorable to them. 
So it happened to the godly Job, all whose children were sadly 
destroyed in one day, who was robbed of his cattle and land, 
and his body terribly tormented. He was an innocent man and 
yet he was compelled to endure a punishment such as no un- 
godly person had suffered. 



340 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH 

Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for 
you, which is your glory. Eph. 32 13. 

Having been imprisoned at Rome by order of the emperor, 
Paul thus consoles his beloved converts at Ephesus, admonishing 
them to cleave to the doctrine learned from him, and not to be 
frightened from it by his fate. He reminds them of that where- 
unto God has called them, and of that they have received 
through his preaching. 

Such admonition is still, and will ever be, necessary in the 
Christian community. The weak must endure severe conflicts 
in the tribulations which the gospel inevitably entails. The 
trial is especially hard when they must lose their leaders and 
teachers, and in addition hear the shameful, bitter taunts of the 
calumniators. We in this day have to expect that some will be 
offended when teachers are assailed. We should therefore be 
prepared, and when any of our number fall away from our 
faith to flatter tyrants and the pope, and become liars and 
knaves, we must individually lay hold of the gospel in such a 
way as to enable us to stand and to say: "Not because a certain 
one has taught thus, do I believe. It matters not what becomes 
of him or what he may be, the doctrine itself is right. This 
I know, whatever God may permit to befall myself or others 
because of it." 

How could I comfort myself and stand firm unless I were 
able to say: "Though ten other worlds and everything great, 
lofty, wise and prudent, and all my friends and brethren as 
well, should turn from me, the doctrine still remains true. I 
will adhere to the Word of God, stand or fall what may." 
When the trying hour arrives, we are able to accomplish as little 
against the enemy as Paul when he lay in chains, powerless to 



SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH 34 1 

succor a soul. He was obliged to commit his cause to the Lord. 
At the same time, as a faithful apostle, he ceased not to ad- 
monish and warn to the full extent of his power. Well he 
knew that many false apostles were ready, as soon as he said 
a word, to pervert it. For the sake of affording his converts 
comfort and strength, Paul proceeds to make his suiferings and 
tribulations pleasing to them by speaking of these afflictions in 
unusual and beautiful terms. 

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell 
among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded 
him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Luke 10: 30. 

The man who lies here half dead, wounded and stripped of 
his clothing, is Adam and all mankind. The murderers are the 
devils who robbed and wounded us and left us lying prostrate 
and half dead. We still struggle a little for life ; but there lies 
horse and man, we cannot help ourselves to our feet, and if 
we were left thus lying we would have to die by reason of our 
great anguish and lack of nourishment. If the poor wounded 
man had desired to help himself he would only have done harm 
to himself and irritated his wounds. Had he remained lying 
quiet, he would have suffered all the same. This parable pic- 
tures us perfectly. 

Thus we are when left to ourselves. We are always lost, we 
may lay hold where we will. Hitherto man has thought out 
many ways and methods how he might reform his life and get 
to heaven. One invented this way, another that ; therefore there 
arose the many kinds of orders, the letters of indulgence, and 
the crusades; but they have only made evil worse. The world 
is thus finely portrayed in this wounded man ; it lies in sins over 
head and ears and cannot help itself. 



342 SEPTEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH 

But the Samaritan, who is our Lord Jesus Christ, has ful- 
filled the law and is perfectly healthy and sound. He comes 
and does more than both priest and Levite. They saw the 
wounded man lying helpless and half dead, but they could not 
help that. He who lay there half dead saw it too, but could 
not improve matters. The dear sainted fathers saw very well 
that the people lay in their sins over their ears, and felt the 
anguish of sin, but what could they do to remedy it? But 
Christ, the true Samaritan, goes to him and does not require the 
helpless one to come to him ; for here is no merit, but pure grace 
and mercy; he binds up his wounds and pours in oil and wine. 
This is the whole gospel from beginning to end. Cling firmly 
to this Samaritan, Christ the Saviour, he will help you, and 
nothing else in heaven or on earth will. 

Btpttmbtx Qfamttg-rtgiftlj 

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, 
and were destroyed of serpents. I Cor. 10: 9. 

In Numbers, chapter 21st, we read that after the people had 
journeyed forty years in the wilderness and God had brought 
them through all their difficulties and given them victory over 
their enemies, as they drew near to the promised land, they 
became dissatisfied and impatient. They were setting out to 
go around the land of the Edomites, who refused them a passage 
through their country, when they began to murmur against 
God and Moses for leading them out of Egypt. Thereupon 
God sent among them fiery serpents and they were bitten, a 
multitude of the people perishing. 

Complaining against God is here called tempting him. Men 
set themselves against the Word of God and blaspheme, as if 
God and his Word were utterly insignificant, because his dis- 
posing is not as they desire. Properly speaking it is tempting 



SEPTEMBER TWENTY-NINTH 343 

God when we not only disbelieve him, but oppose him, refusing 
to accept what he says as true and desiring that our own wisdom 
rule. Such was the conduct of the Jews, notwithstanding God's 
promise to remain with them and to preserve them in trouble; 
and notwithstanding that he proved his care by daily providences 
in special blessings and strange wonders. 

Paul, in speaking of how they tempted God, says, "They 
tempted Christ," pointing to the fact that the eternal Son of 
God w T as from the beginning with his Church and with the 
people who received the promise of his coming in the form of 
man. They believed as we do that Christ was the Rock that 
followed them. That sin and blasphemy was the real meaning 
of their murmurings is indicated by the fact that Moses after- 
ward, in the terrible punishment of the fiery serpents by which 
the people were bitten and died, erected at God's command a 
brazen serpent and whoever looked upon it lived. It was a sign 
to them of Christ who was to be offered for the salvation of 
sinners. It taught the people that they had blasphemed against 
God, incurred his wrath and deserved punishment, and there- 
fore in order to be saved from wrath and condemnation, they 
had no possible alternative but to believe again in Christ. 

g>tptt mb?t 5ttu?ttfg-ttttttlj 

Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt. 6: 24. 

Mammon means goods or riches, and such goods as one does 
not need, but holds as a treasure, and it is gold and possessions 
that one deposits as stock and storage provisions. This Chris- 
tians do not do, they gather no treasures; but they ask God for 
their daily bread. Others, however, are not satisfied with this, 
they gather a great store upon which they think they can depend ; 
in case our God should die to-day or to-morrow, they would 
be able to keep themselves. 



344 SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH 

To have money and possessions is not forbidden, as we .cannot 
get along without them. Abraham, Lot, David, Solomon and 
others had great possessions and much gold ; and at present there 
are many wealthy persons who are pious, in spite of their riches. 
But it is one thing to have possessions and another to serve them ; 
to have mammon and to make a god of it. Job also was wealthy, 
he had great possessions and was more powerful than all who 
lived in the East; yet he says: "If I have made gold my hope, 
and said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; have I 
rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand 
had gotten much?" 

Whoever possesses riches is lord of the riches. Whoever 
serves them, is their slave and does not possess them, but they 
possess him ; for he dare not make use of them when he desires, 
and cannot serve others with them; yea, he is not bold enough 
to dare to touch them. But if he is lord over his riches, they 
serve him, and he does not serve them; then he dare use them 
and casts his care only upon God ; he aids the poor with his 
wealth and gives to those who have nothing. We see here and 
there many pious poor people existing only for the purpose that 
the wealthy may help and serve them with their riches. 

The sum of it all is, that God cannot allow us to have another 
Lord besides himself. He is a jealous God and cannot suffer 
us to serve him and his enemy. It is his will that we serve not 
gold and riches, and that we be not overanxious for our life; 
but that we labor and commend our anxiety to him. 

Btpttmbn Qtyirttrtij 

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and 
whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. John 20: 23. 

This is a great and mighty power which no one can suf- 
ficiently extol, given to mortal men of flesh and blood over sin, 



SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH 345 

death, hell and all things. The pope, too, boasts in the canon 
law, that Christ has given him power over all earthly things; 
which indeed is correct if the people rightly understood it. 
They apply it to the civil government; this is not Christ's 
thought ; he wishes to say that when ye speak a word concerning 
a sinner it shall be spoken in heaven and shall avail as much as 
if God himself had spoken it. This is not civil, but spiritual 
power. 

If Christ speaks a word, it must be so, since he is Lord over 
sin and death. When he says to you : Thy sins are forgiven, they 
must be forgiven and nothing can prevent it. If he says: Thy 
sins shall not be forgiven thee, they remain unforgiven, so that 
neither you, nor an angel, nor a saint, nor any creature, can 
forgive your sin, even if you tortured yourself to death. But 
in this matter one must not do like the popes. They have 
reached the point to claim the power that whatever they say, so 
it must be. If the pope says: Thy sins are forgiven thee, they 
are blotted out, even though you do not repent, nor believe. 
They mean by this that they have the power to open or shut 
heaven. From this it would follow that our salvation depended 
upon the authority and power of man. Since this is in conflict 
with all the Scriptures, it cannot be true. These words do not 
establish the power of him who speaks, but of him who believes. 
God has given us the Word and authority to speak. This 
power belongs to every Christian, since Christ has made us all 
partakers of his power and dominion. Here is not a civil but 
a spiritual rule, and Christ's followers rule spiritually. Christ's 
meaning is: Ye shall have the power to speak the Word, and 
to preach the gospel, and whosoever believeth has the remission 
of his sins ; but whosoever believeth not has no remission of sin. 
Therefore if you believe the Word, you gain this power; but 
if you believe not, then what I speak or preach will avail nothing 
even though it be God's Word. 



346 OCTOBER FIRST 



(§rtflln»r Jfftrat 

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are 
the children of God. Rom. 8: 16. 

Paul describes here the power of the kingdom of Christ, the 
real work and the true exalted worship which the Holy Spirit 
effects in believers, the comfort by which the heart is freed from 
the fear and terror of sin and given peace, and the heartfelt 
supplication which in faith expects of God an answer and brings 
his help. These blessings cannot be secured through the law or 
through our own holiness. That we are children of God and 
may confidently regard ourselves as such, we learn from the 
witness of the Spirit, who, in spite of the law and our unworthi- 
ness, testifies to it in our weakness and assures us of it. Where 
there is faith in Christ, there the Holy Spirit brings comfort 
and childlike trust, which doubts not that God is gracious and 
will answer prayer as he has promised, not for the sake of our 
worthiness, but for the sake of the name and merit of Christ, 
his Son. This witness is the experience within ourselves of the 
power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word and the 
knowledge that our experience accords with the Word and the 
preaching of the gospel. For thou art surely aware whether 
or no, when thou art in fear and distress, thou dost obtain 
comfort from the gospel, whether thy heart is assured of God's 
graciousness, and thou no longer fleest from him, but canst 
cheerfully call upon him in faith, expecting help. 

This is the true inward witness by which thou mayest per- 
ceive that the Holy Spirit is at work in thee. In addition to 
this thou hast also external witnesses. It is a witness of the 
Holy Spirit in thee that he gives the special gifts, spiritual un- 
derstanding, grace and success in thy calling; that thou hast 
pleasure and delight in God's Word, confessing it before the 



OCTOBER SECOND 347 



world at the peril of life and limb ; that thou hatest and resistest 
ungodliness and sin. Those who have not the Holy Spirit are 
neither willing nor able to do these things. Even in the Chris- 
tian these things are accomplished in great weakness; but the 
Holy Spirit governs them in this weakness, and strengthens them 
in this witness, as Paul says: "The Spirit also helpeth our 
infirmities." 

©rioter g>?ttmb 

(He) fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks; 
and he was a Samaritan. Luke 17: 16. 

Why was it necessary for the evangelist to write that this 
one leper was a Samaritan? By this he opens our eyes and 
warns us that God has two kinds of people who serve him. The 
one kind has the appearance and name of having a great, spir- 
itual, holy life, wholly wrapped up in it, but all in vain. They 
are nothing more than ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. Yet 
they have the honor and are regarded as the true worshipers of 
God; therefore goods, friendship and everything the world has 
comes to them. The others are of the opposite appearance, and 
are without show or name, as though no one were less God's 
people than they. 

The Jews alone had the name of being God's people, and 
they alone had God and his worship in preference to all other 
people on the earth. They hated the Samaritans above all na- 
tions, for they too claimed to be God's people along with the 
Jews; therefore a Samaritan was to them as an apostate Chris- 
tian is to us. It is true that the Samaritans did not have the 
right belief and that the Jews had the true law of God. But 
as God loves the truth and is an enemy to hypocrisy with all its 
boasting, he turns it round and accepts the Samaritans and lets 
the Jews go. Thus it happens that they are not his people who 



348 OCTOBER THIRD 



still have the name, the appearance and honor of his people. 
Again, they who are his people, and have the name and appear- 
ance, are regarded as heretics, apostates and the devil's children. 
So it is even at the present time. The clergy, priests and 
monks call themselves and are regarded the servants of God. 
No one is a Christian who does not believe as they do, although 
no one is less a Christian. Those whom they regarded as here- 
tics, many of whom they have burned and exiled, dare not be 
called Christians, although they alone are the true Christians. 
No one falls on his face at the feet of Christ, except the 
Samaritans, the despised, the condemned, the accursed. There- 
fore let us guard against everything that makes only a show, it 
certainly is deceiving; and let us not reject what does not make 
a display, so that we do not reject Christ and God, as the Jews 
did. 

©rtnbrr Stytrfc 

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Eph. 3: 14. 

The apostle alludes to his prayer by naming its outward ex- 
pression — bending the knees. But the external posture, if ac- 
companied by nothing else, is sheer hypocrisy. When prayer is 
genuine, possessing the fire by which it is kindled, prompted 
by a sincere heart which recognizes its need and likewise the 
blessings that are ours as proclaimed in the Word, and when 
faith in God's Word — in his promise — revives, then the in- 
dividual will be possessed with a fervor prompting him to fall 
upon his knees and pray for strength and for the power of the 
Spirit. When the Spirit of prayer is enkindled and burns within 
the heart, the body will responsively assume the proper attitude ; 
involuntarily, eyes and hands will be upraised and knees bended. 
Recall the examples of Moses, David and even Christ himself. 



OCTOBER FOURTH 349 



Paul here establishes the doctrine that no one should presume 
to speak to God, to entreat him for any favor, unless approach- 
ing, as Paul does here, in the name of "the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." For Christ is our sole Mediator, and no one 
need expect to be heard unless he approach the Father in the 
name of that Mediator and confess him Lord given of God as 
intercessor for us and ruler of our bodies and souls. Prayer 
according to these conditions is approved. Strong faith, how- 
ever, is necessary to lay hold of the comforting Word, picturing 
God in our hearts as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The statement that Christ is our Lord is very comforting, 
though we have made it terrifying by regarding Christ as a stern 
and angry judge. But the fact is that he is our Lord for the 
sole purpose of securing us against harsh lords, tyrants, the devil, 
the world, death, sin and every sort of misfortune. We are his 
inheritance, and therefore he will espouse our cause, deliver us 
from violence and oppression of all kinds and better our condi- 
tion. The name "Lord" is altogether lovable and comforting 
to us who believe, and gives us confidence of heart. Naught is 
here for me but real help and pure grace. God designs to have 
me his child in Christ, placed above all things temporal and 
eternal. 

©rioter Jfaurtlj 

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which 
walk so as ye have us for an ensample. Phil. 3: 17. 

Paul, contemplating with special interest and pleasure his 
Church of the Philippians, is moved by parental care to admon- 
ish them to hold steadily to what they have received, not seeking 
anything else and not imagining themselves perfect with com- 
plete understanding in all things. He particularly admonishes 
them to follow him and to mark those ministers who walk as 



350 OCTOBER FOURTH 



he does; also to shape their belief and conduct by the pattern 
they have received from him. He not only makes an example 
of himself, but introduces those who similarly walk, several of 
whom he mentions in this letter to the Philippians. The indi- 
viduals whom he bids them observe and follow must have been 
persons of special eminence. But it is particularly the doctrine 
which the apostle would have the Philippians pattern after. 
Therefore we should be chiefly concerned about preserving the 
purity of the office of the ministry and the genuineness of faith. 
When these are kept unsullied, doctrine will be right, and good 
works spontaneous. 

Apparently Paul is a rash man to dare boast himself a pattern 
for all. Other ministers might well accuse him of wishing to 
exalt his individual self above others. "Think you," our wise 
ones would say to him, "that you alone have the Holy Spirit, 
or that no one else is as eager for honor as yourself?" Just so 
did Miriam and Aaron murmur against Moses, their brother, 
saying: "Hath the Lord indeed only spoken by Moses? hath he 
not spoken also by us?" Paul, however, does not say, "I, Paul, 
alone;" but, "as ye have us for an example." That does not 
exclude other true apostles and teachers. He admonishes his 
church, as he everywhere does, to hold fast to the one true 
doctrine received from him in the beginning. They are not to 
be too confident of their own wisdom in the matter; but rather 
to guard against pretenders to a superior doctrine, for so had 
some been misled. At that time many Jews went about with 
the intent of perverting Paul's converts, pretending that they 
taught something far better, drawing the people away from 
Christ and back to the law in order to establish and extend their 
Jewish doctrines. 



OCTOBER FIFTH 35 I 



©rtnbw 3Ftftlj 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence 
of things not seen. Heb. II : I. 

This means as much as to say, faith is the means by which 
one trusts in possessions he does not see, namely, that I should 
expect temporal things which I can neither see nor hear, but 
must only hope for. If I were a man who had a wife and 
children, had nothing for them and no one gave me anything; 
then I should believe and hope that God would sustain me. 
But if I see that it amounts to nothing and I am not helped 
with food and clothing, what takes place? As an unbelieving 
fool I begin to doubt and take whatever is at hand, steal, de- 
ceive, cheat the people and make my way as best I can. This 
is what shameless unbelief does. But if I am a believer, I close 
my eyes and say : O God, I am thy creature and thy handiwork. 
I will depend entirely upon thee who carest more for my suste- 
nance than I do myself; thou wilt indeed nourish, feed, clothe 
and help me when and where thou knowest best. 

Thus faith is a sure foundation through which I expect that 
which I see not. Therefore faith must always have sufficient; 
before it should fail the angels would have to come from heaven 
and dig bread out of the earth in order that believing persons 
should be fed. The heavens and the earth would have to pass 
away before God would let his believers lack clothing and the 
other necessaries of life. The comforting and powerful Word 
of the divine promise demands this. But when one inquires of 
reason for counsel it soon says: It is not possible. You must 
wait a long time until roasted ducks fly into your mouth, for 
reason sees nothing, grasps nothing, and nothing is present. 
Concerning spiritual blessings I wish to say that when we come 
to die we will see before our eyes very death, when we would 



352 OCTOBER SIXTH 



eagerly wish to live; we will see very hell, and yet we would 
fondly wish to possess heaven. In brief, we will not see a single 
thing we would like to have. But faith is the principle by which 
I secure what I do not see. I fully trust that God, by virtue of 
his promise, will give me life and salvation. 



©rioter &txtlj 



As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works 
is dead also. James 2 : 26. 

Faith is an active, living thing. But in order that men may 
not deceive themselves and think they have faith when they 
have not, they are to examine their works, whether they also 
love their neighbors and do good to them. If they do this, it 
is a sign that they have the true faith. If they do not do this 
they only have the sound of faith and they are as one who sees 
himself in a glass; when he leaves it, he sees himself no more, 
but sees other things, forgetting the face in the glass. From this 
passage deceivers and blind masters have demolished faith and 
established only good works as though righteousness and salva- 
tion did not rest on faith, but on our works. 

But James means that a Christian life is nothing but faith 
and love. Love is being kind and useful to all men, to friends 
and enemies. Where faith is right it certainly loves, and does 
to others in love as Christ did to him in faith. Thus every one 
is to beware lest he has in his heart simply a dream and fancy 
instead of faith, and thus deceives himself. This he will not 
learn as well anywhere as in doing the works of love. Beware, 
if your life is not in the service of others, and you live only for 
yourself, and care nothing for your neighbor; then your faith 
is certainly nothing, for it does not do what Christ has done for 
you. Paul also says: "If I have faith enough to remove moun- 
tains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing." This ex- 



OCTOBER SEVENTH 353 



plains the whole matter, not that faith is insufficient to make 
us pious, but that a Christian life must embrace and never 
separate these two, faith and love. But the presumptuous un- 
dertake to separate them, they want only to believe and not to 
love, they despise their neighbor, and yet pretend to have Christ. 
This is false and must fail. Thus we say, then, that- faith is 
everything and saves us, that a man needs no more for his 
salvation. But he is on this account not idle, but labors much 
for the benefit of his neighbor and not for himself; for he does 
not need it, he has enough in Christ. 



©rtoher &mtttlf 



When he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves 
unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they 
were cleansed. Luke 17: 14. 

How very friendly and lovingly the Lord invites all hearts 
to himself in this example and stirs them to believe in him! 
There is no doubt that he desires to do for all what he does here 
for these lepers, if we only freely surrender ourselves to him 
for all his favor and grace. The Lord desires that we should 
joyfully and freely venture to build on his favor before we feel 
or experience it. He has here sufficiently testified that he hears 
them willingly without any hesitation. He does not first say 
he will do it, but as though it were already done, he did as they 
wished. He does not say : I will have mercy on you, and cleanse 
you; but merely: "Go show yourselves unto the priests." As 
though he would say : There is no use of asking, your faith has 
already acquired and obtained it, before you begin to ask; you 
were already cleansed in my sight when you began to expect such 
things of me; only go and show yourselves to the priests; as I 
consider you and as you believe, so you are and shall be. 

Behold, so powerful is faith to obtain all it wants of God, 

Devotional Readings 23 



354- OCTOBER EIGHTH 



that God considers it done before the asking. Of this the 
prophet Isaiah has already said, "It shall come to pass, that 
before they call, I will answer ; and while they are yet speaking, 
I will hear." Not as though faith or we were worthy of it, but 
in order that he might show his unspeakable goodness and willing 
grace, that he might stir us to believe in him, and with joyful 
and unwavering consciences to look to him for every good thing. 
For thus Christ hears these lepers before they call, and before 
they cry out he is prepared to do all their hearts desire. Are 
not these strong incentives that make the heart joyful and eager? 
His grace permits itself to be felt and grasped, yea, it grasps and 
satisfies us. 

The lepers have taught us how to believe; Christ teaches us 
to love. Love does to its neighbor as it sees Christ has done to 
us. This is a Christian life ; it does not need much doctrine, nor 
many books, it is wholly contained in faith and love. 



(§ttaber Bstftl? 

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and 
he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten 
son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 
Heb. ii : 17, 18. 

To reason it was a foolish command God gave to Abraham 
to slay his son. If reason should be the judge all mankind would 
come to no other conclusion than that it was an unfriendly and 
hostile command. How could it be from God, since he himself 
had said to Abraham that he would multiply his seed through 
this son, and that it should become as innumerable as the stars 
of the firmament and as the sand by the sea. Therefore to 
reason it was a foolish, a grievous and hard commandment. But 
what did Abraham do? He closes his senses, takes his reason 



OCTOBER NINTH 355 



captive, and, obeying the voice of God, goes and does as God 
commanded him. 

By this Abraham proved that he obeyed from the heart ; other- 
wise, even if he had put his son to death a hundred times, God 
would not have cared for it ; but God was pleased that the deed 
came from the heart and was done from true love to God. It 
came from a heart that must have thought: Even if my son 
dies, God is almighty and faithful, he will keep his word, he 
will find ways and means beyond that which I am able to devise ; 
only obey, there is no danger. Had he not had this boldness 
and faith, how could he have had it in his fatherly heart to 
proceed to kill his only and well beloved son? 

Later the Jews wanted to follow this example and offered 
their children to God, hoping thereby to perform a service well- 
pleasing to God; but it was far from it. O, how many healthy, 
noble and beautiful children perished! The prophets protested 
against this service, they preached, warned and wrote against it, 
telling the people that it was a deception, but all in vain. Many 
a prophet lost his life because of this, as the history of the Books 
of the Kings shows. 

But why was this service of the Jews displeasing to God? 
Because it did not come from the heart, and was not done out 
of love to God ; but they simply looked upon the service without 
the command and word of God. There must be first love in 
the heart, then follows the service that will be pleasing to God. 
Abraham proved by his act that he loved God with his whole 
heart. 

Wttabn Ntntlt 

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the ful- 
filling of the law. Rom. 13: 10. 

All the works of the law tend in the end to prove our love 
to God. This love the law requires and will have above even*- 



356 OCTOBER NINTH 



thing else. We are to observe that all the works of the law 
are not commanded merely for the purpose of being performed. 
If God had even given us more commandments, he would 
not want us to keep them to the injury and destruction of love. 
If these commandments oppose the love of our neighbor, God 
wants us to annul them. Moses brought the children of Israel 
out of Egypt, leading them for forty years through the wilder- 
ness, and not one of them was circumcised, although it was 
commanded them. Was God angry with them, because they 
did not obey his commandment? No, there was a higher com- 
mandment in force at that time, namely, that they were to obey 
God who commanded them to come out of Egypt in haste to 
the promised land. By their marching they daily obeyed God, 
otherwise God would have been angered by disobedience. Both 
the need and the love were at hand, for it would have been 
unbearable to endure the pain of circumcision and at the same 
time the burden of the journey. Thus love took the place of 
the commandment. 

In like manner Christ excused his disciples, when they plucked 
the ears of corn and ate them on the Sabbath day, and the Jews 
accused them of transgressing the law by doing on the Sabbath 
day that which was not lawful to do. The Lord gave them to 
understand that here is no Sabbath day; the body needs food, 
necessity demands it; we must eat even though it be on the 
Sabbath day. Thus David went into the house of God and ate 
the shew bread, which it was not lawful for him, nor for those 
with him, to eat, but only for the priests. David ate the bread, 
though he was not a priest, because hunger pressed him to do it. 
Neither did Ahimelech, the priest, violate the law in giving the 
bread to David, for love was present and urged him to do it. 
Therefore we have need of the law, that love may be mani- 
fested; but if it cannot be kept without injury to our neighbor, 
God wants us to suspend it. 



OCTOBER TENTH 357 



(§ttober Sfctttij 



Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, 
be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. Matt. 9 : 2. 

These words contain in brief what the kingdom of Christ is, 
namely, this sweet voice penetrating our inmost soul, "Thy sins 
are forgiven." In no other sense are we to view the kingdom 
of Christ than to know how we stand before God. From it 
follows that the kingdom of Christ is realized where comfort 
and the forgiveness of sins reign, not only in proclaiming the 
words, which is also necessary, but where they reign in reality. 
Christ did not only speak these words into the ear of this sick 
man; but he also forgave his sins and comforted him. It is 
well for us Christians to know this. These words are indeed 
easily and quickly said and heard ; but when it comes to the test 
the light is soon extinguished and Satan begins to lead us astray. 
We must beware and properly learn the character and nature 
of the kingdom of Christ. You know how reason is inclined 
to fall from faith to works. But here you see no works at all, 
no merit, no command; there is only the offering of Christ's 
assistance, his comfort and grace. 

If the kingdom of Christ is to grow, we must keep the law 
out of it, and not be busy with works. For it is not in harmony 
with Christ's kingdom to say : Run hither and thither and atone 
for your sins ; you must observe and do this and that, if you will 
be free from sin. Your sins are forgiven out of pure grace 
without any work or law. The fanatics profess to have a nobler 
spirit ; they urge and insist upon our doing something first of all, 
and allow faith and love to be overlooked. 

This of course is not of the Holy Spirit. Christ first takes 
possession of the conscience, and when it is right in faith toward 
God, then he also directs us to do works toward our neighbor. 



35^ OCTOBER ELEVENTH 



He first highly extols faith and keeps works in the background. 
This the fanatics cannot understand. Yet so it must be, Christ 
will prove his Word, and examine who has received it and who 
not. Let us therefore remain on the right road to the kingdom 
of Christ with the words of the gospel which comfort the con- 
science: Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven. 

©rtnfor iElmtttlf 

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and 
whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. John 20: 23. 

The forgiveness of sins is of two kinds: the first is to drive 
sin from the heart and infuse grace into it; this is the work of 
God alone. The second is the declaration of the forgiveness 
of sin ; this man can do to his fellow man. Christ did both. He 
instils the Spirit into the heart and externally he declared for- 
giveness through the word, which is a declaration and public 
preaching of the internal forgiveness. 

All men who have been baptized and are Christians have this 
latter power. With this power they praise Christ, and the 
word is put into their mouth, so that they may and are able to 
say, if they wish, and as often as it is necessary: Behold, O man! 
God offers thee this grace, forgives thee all thy sin; be com- 
forted, thy sins are forgiven; only believe, and thou wilt surely 
have forgiveness. This word of consolation shall not cease 
among Christians until the last day. Such language a Christian 
may always use and in this manner has power to forgive sins. 
Therefore if I say to you: Thy sins are forgiven, then believe 
it as surely as though God himself had said it to you. 

Now if there were no man on earth to forgive sins, and there 
were only law and works, what a weak and miserable thing 
a poor troubled conscience would be. But now when God 



OCTOBER TWELFTH 359 



adequately instructs every one so that he is able to say to others : 
Thy sins are forgiven thee, wherever thou art, the golden age 
has arrived. On this account we are to be defiant and boastful 
against sin, so that we can say to our brother, who is in anxiety 
and distress on account of his sins: Be of good cheer, thy sins 
are forgiven ; although I cannot give the Holy Ghost and faith, 
I can yet declare them unto thee; if thou believest, thou hast 
them. They who thus believe these words, praise and glorify 
God. He has given man power to forgive sins, and thus the 
kingdom of Christ is spread, the conscience is strengthened and 
comforted. This we do now through the Word. God grant 
that we may also thus understand it. But who could do this 
if Christ had not descended and instructed us. 

Wttobn ®MH>lftlj 

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be 
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which 
thou hast given me. John 17: 24. 

These words' are the last petition of this prayer, but the most 
comforting one for all those who cling to Christ. We are here 
assured of what we are finally to receive, where we shall find 
rest and abide, because in this world we are wretched, despised 
and have no sure abiding place. Therefore, as a kind, faithful 
Saviour, Christ encourages us, by saying that he will prepare 
mansions for us, that we are to be with him, and are to be as 
happy as he is with his Father. He would say: Do not worry 
as to your abiding place; let the world and the devil rave and 
rage, you shall be taken care of and come to the place you 
desire, where you may rest and remain in spite of the world and 
the devil. These words should be a pillow and a downy bed 
for our souls; and when the last hour shall arrive and we are 
to be freed from sin, from the world, from the power of the 



360 OCTOBER THIRTEENTH 

devil and from every evil, and are to be brought to our eternal 
rest and joy, we should go thitherward with cheerful hearts. 

We are not only to be with him, but we are also to come 
to a clear, bright view of his glory. Here upon earth we have 
it and recognize it only by faith. We do not really see it, but 
only through the Word as through a dark glass. Our knowl- 
edge is still obscure, as when a dark cloud overshadows the bright 
sun. No human heart can understand the greatness of Christ's 
glory, since he appeared so very obscure while on earth. But 
in the world beyond another light will shine most brilliantly in 
our very presence, which we shall behold with unspeakable joy. 
What injury can the world do us, though it deprive us of prop- 
erty, honor, and life, if thereby we are brought to Christ and 
may behold his glory. But we are too cold and sluggish to 
believe this. It is beyond human understanding to comprehend 
that our poor, decaying bodies should ever reach such a position 
of honor as to be able to see this excellent, divine glory forever ; 
yea, our bodies shall become more brilliant and brighter than 
the sun and the stars. 



// we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us 
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1 : 9. 

All hear the gospel, but it does not enter the hearts of all, for 
they do not all feel their sins. But the gospel teaches that every- 
thing we have in us is sin. Therefore it also offers comfort, 
forgiveness of sin. But if I am to receive forgiveness of sins, 
I must have knowledge of sin. Forgiveness of sins consists in 
nothing more than two words, in which the whole kingdom of 
Christ consists. There must be sins, and if we are conscious 
of them, we must confess them; when we have confessed them, 
forgiveness and grace are immediately present. Before there 



OCTOBER FOURTEENTH 361 

is forgiveness, there is nothing but sin. This sin must be con- 
fessed that I may feel and know that all that is in me is blind- 
ness; forgiveness of sins cannot exist where there is no sin. 
There is, however, no lack of sins to confess, but the lack is in 
not feeling and knowing our sins. 

When God forgives sins it is quite a different thing from 
man's forgiving. When one man forgives another his sins, he 
thinks of them again, or perhaps even lays them up to him. But 
God condemns no more, he banishes all wrath from him, he 
thinks no more of sin. Now when this wrath is gone, then 
hell, death, the devil and all misfortune that the devil may 
bring with him, must also disappear ; and instead of wrath God 
gives grace, comfort, salvation and everything good that he him- 
self is. Sin is all unhappiness, forgiveness is true happiness. 
The divine majesty is great, great is also that which it forgives. 
But you must know in your heart how great these words are 
in which you must trust and for which you can cheerfully die. 
Only a few rightly receive these words, therefore there are but 
few true Christians. 

This then is the kingdom of Christ. Here there is no work, 
but only the acknowledgment of all our misfortune, and the 
reception of all the gifts of God. Therefore it is not by merit ; 
it is a simple gift. This is the gospel upon which faith depends. 
I need no works before God, and need only be careful rightly 
to confess my sins. Then I have forgiveness of sins and am one 
with God, all of which the Holy Spirit works in me. 

©rioter Jfaurienttlj 

No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy 
Ghost. 1 Cor. 12: 3. 

To call Jesus "Lord" is to confess oneself his servant and to 
seek his honor alone; to act as his messenger or the bearer of 
his W'ord and command. Paul refers here chiefly to the office 



362 OCTOBER FOURTEENTH 

which represents Christ and bears his Word. Where the office 
answers these conditions and points to Christ as the Lord, it is 
truly the message of the Holy Spirit, even though the occupant 
of the office does not in his own person possess the Spirit; the 
office itself is essentially of the Holy Spirit. Hypocrisy and 
invention have no place here. One must proceed in sincerity if 
he would be certain he is Christ's minister, or apostle, and really 
handles his Word. Only the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can 
give one this assurance. 

All Christians — each in his own sphere — may equally call 
Christ "Lord." One may be assured he serves Christ if he can 
call him "Lord," for only by the Holy Spirit is he enabled to do 
that. Let him try for a single day — from morning until eve- 
ning — whether or no he can truly say at all times that he is the 
servant of God and of Christ in what he does. When deliver- 
ing a sermon or listening to one, when baptizing a child or 
bringing one to baptism, when pursuing your daily duties, ask 
yourself if the act is attended by such faith that you can, without 
misgiving and not hypocritically, nor mechanically, boast — if 
necessary, die by your boast — that you serve and please Christ 
therein. This is calling Christ "Lord." Unquestionably you 
will often feel your heart doubting and trembling over the mat- 
ter. Flesh and blood is too weak to obtain this glorious con- 
fidence; the Holy Spirit is essential. 

I often used to wonder that St. Ambrose was so bold as to 
call himself a servant of Jesus Christ. I supposed we all ought 
to be terrified at thoughts of this kind, and that none but the 
apostles might boast of such honor. But the fact is, we must 
all say to Christ : Thou art my Lord and I am thy servant ; for 
I believe in thee and aspire to be with thee and all the faithful 
and to possess thy Word and Sacrament. Otherwise Christ 
will not acknowledge us. 



OCTOBER FIFTEENTH 363 



©rioter 3Ftftamtij 



Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the ninef There 
are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this 
stranger. Luke 17: 17, 18. 

The stranger sincerely gives God all the glory. O, what a 
terrible example is this! Among ten only one, and he among 
the least and most worthless. How entirely does God overlook 
that which is great, wise, spiritual and honorable! Yet such 
people have no fear, but become hardened and petrified in their 
nature. It is also terrible that the Lord knows that ten were 
cleansed, of this they did not think. He inquires after and seeks 
them: Where are the nine? O, what a frightful thing it will 
be when they at some future time will feel this inquiry and 
must answer whither they went, that they did not give God the 
glory. Then they will say : Well, we have nevertheless praised 
and thanked God, and thus our priests have taught us! Then 
it will appear whether it will help us to follow the doctrines 
of men in the name of God, and to forsake the doctrine and 
will of God. We are sufficiently warned in the gospel, so that 
no excuse will help us if we allow ourselves to be deceived. In 
Baptism we have all vowed to follow Christ and his doctrine; 
no one has vowed to follow the pope, the bishops and clergy. 
Thus Christ has thoroughly rejected and forbidden the doctrines 
of men. 

Christ comforts his poor Samaritans, who for his name's sake 
must risk their lives with the priests and Jews, and strengthens 
their hope with the sentence and judgment that he demands the 
nine and judges them as God's thieves, who steal God's glory, 
but he justifies the Samaritan. This hope gives them strong 
courage, that their cause before God will be rightly maintained 
and will stand, and that that of the others will be condemned, 



;64 OCTOBER SIXTEENTH 



it matters not how great they were and what power they had 
on earth. 

Before Christ justifies the Samaritan, he judges the nine, that 
we should be sure not to hasten or desire revenge, but leave it 
only to him, and go our way. For he himself is so careful to 
defend the right and punish the wrong. Nor does he wait long 
to have them accused before him, but of his own free will sum- 
mons them, so that without doubt the cause of unbelievers affects 
him more and sooner than it strikes or harms us. 



(jfrtnber g>btf££tttl! 



That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old 
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Eph. 

4: 22. 

What Paul calls "the old man" is well known to us, namely, 
the whole nature of man as descended from Adam after his fall 
in paradise, being blinded by the devil, depraved in soul, not 
keeping God before the eyes, nor trusting him, yea, utterly 
regardless of God and the judgment day. He portrays the old 
man as given to error, coming short of the truth, knowing 
naught of the true knowledge of Christ and faith in him, indif- 
ferent alike to God's wrath and God's grace, deceiving himself 
in his own conceit that darkness is light. 

Out of this error proceeds the other corruption, the lusts of 
the body, which are the fruits of unbelief. Unbelief causes men 
to walk in sinful security and yield to all the appetites of their 
flesh. Such have no inclination for what is good, nor do they 
aim to promote order, honor or virtue. They take desperate 
chances on their lives, wanting to live according to the lusts of 
their flesh and yet not be reprimanded. 

This, says the apostle, is the old man's course and nature. 
He will do naught but ruin himself. The longer continued, 



OCTOBER SEVENTEENTH 365 

the greater his debasement. He draws down upon himself his 
own condemnation and penalty of body and soul; in proportion 
as he becomes unbelieving and hard-hearted, does he become 
haughty, hateful and faithless, and eventually a perfect scoundrel 
and villain. This w T as your former manner of life, when as yet 
you were heathen and non-Christian. Therefore you must by 
all means put off the old man and cast him far from you ; other- 
wise you cannot remain a Christian, for glorying in the grace 
of God and the forgiveness of sin is inconsistent with following 
sin, remaining in the former unchristian life and walking in 
error and deceitful lusts. A life and walk of this nature is 
not becoming a Christian, who is regarded, and truly is, a dif- 
ferent order of being from his former self. A Christian must 
take care that he deceive not himself ; he differs from the hypo- 
crite, who may honor God's Word and the gospel, yet in reality 
he is unchanged. True Christians so live that it is apparent 
from their lives that they keep God before their eyes and truly 
believe the gospel. 



(§ttttbn 9mtttmttl} 

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put 
on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and 
true holiness. Eph. 4: 23, 24. 

The new man has the Spirit and the truth, by which the heart 
is illuminated unto righteousness and holiness wherein man fol- 
lows the guidance of God's Word and feels a desire for a godly 
walk and a good life. This new man is created after God, as 
an image of God, and must of necessity differ from such as live 
in error and in lusts, without the knowledge of God and dis- 
obedient to him. For if God's image is in man, man must con- 
sequently have the right knowledge of God and right concep- 



366 OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH 

tions and ideas, and lead a godly life consistent with holiness 
and righteousness as found in God himself. 

Such an image of God Adam was when first created. He 
was, as to the soul, truthful, free from error, possessed of true 
faith and knowledge of God; and as to the body, holy and 
pure, that is, without the impure, unclean desires of avarice, 
lasciviousness, envy, hatred and the like. Thus the whole life 
of the man was a beautiful portrait of God, a mirror wherein 
God himself was reflected ; even as the lives and natures of the 
holy spirits and angels are wrapped up in God and represent 
true knowledge of him, assurance, and joy in him and utterly 
pure and holy thoughts and works according to the will of God. 

All Adam's children — all men — would have so remained 
from their birth, if Adam had not suffered himself to be led 
astray by the devil and to be thus ruined. But since Christians, 
by the grace and Spirit of God, are now renewed in this image 
of God, they are so to live that soul and spirit are righteous 
and pleasing to God through faith in Christ; and that also the 
body — meaning the whole external life — be pure and holy. 
They thus enter again into their former relation and into the 
true paradise of perfect harmony with God and of justification ; 
they are comforted by his grace. They are disposed to lead a 
godly life and resist ungodly lusts and ways. They begin to 
taste God's goodness and lovingkindness and to realize what 
they lost in paradise. He, therefore, that would be a Christian 
should strive to be found in this new man created after God, — 
in the very essence of righteousness and holiness before God. 

QDrtober Stgtjtmttlj 

That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, 
and in all knowledge. I Cor. 1 : 5. 

What Paul terms being enriched "in all utterance" — which, 
in the exalted spiritual meaning of the words, bears on life ever- 



OCTOBER EIGHTEENTH 367 

lasting — is having the comfort of faith in Christ and of invoca- 
tion and prayer. "Enriched in all knowledge" means having 
true conception and right judgment in all things of our physical 
life and in all our earthly relations. All things that a Christian 
should know and should possess are comprehended in these two 
terms. These blessings are gifts and treasures indescribably 
great. He who will contrast them with the destitution of our 
former condition cannot but be joyful and thankful. 

The Christian has indeed inestimable treasures. In the first 
place he has the testimony of the Word of God, which is the 
word of eternal grace and comfort, that he has a right and true 
conception of Baptism, the Lord's Supper, the Commandments 
and the Creed. In addition he has the sure refuge of God's 
promise to deliver us from every trouble in which we shall call 
upon him, and to give us, as he promised by the prophet Zech- 
ariah, the Spirit of grace and of prayer. And the Christian, by 
virtue of his enlightened understanding, can wisely discern what 
are good works and what callings are pleasing to God; on the 
other hand, his judgments are equally true as to unprofitable 
and vain works and false services. Formerly we had not this 
wholesome knowledge. We knew not what we believed, or 
how we prayed and lived. We sought comfort and salvation 
in self-devised trivialities, in penances, confessions and satisfac- 
tions, in self-righteous works of monkery and in obedience to 
the commands of the Pope. We believed such works to be fully 
satisfactory and, indeed, the only things that were holy; the 
pursuits of common Christians we considered worldly and dan- 
gerous. In contrast to this darkness, consider the priceless and 
to-be-cherished blessing of knowing with certainty wherein the 
heart is to take comfort, how to seek help in distress and how 
to conduct oneself in one's own station. Truly we should now 
render to God heartfelt thanks for the great favor and blessing 
of restored light and understanding in Scripture and the right 
conception of doctrinal matters. 



368 OCTOBER NINETEENTH 

Wttnbn Ntnrtmttlj 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord de- 
livereth him out of them all. Ps. 34: 19. 

God kindly sends upon his Christians temptation, sorrow and 
affliction. These preserve them from carnal satiety and teach 
them to seek comfort and help. God did thus also in former 
ages, in the time of the martyrs, when he daily suffered them 
to be violently seized in person and put to death by sword, fire, 
blood and wild beasts. In this way he truly led his people to 
school, where they were obliged to learn to know his will. Faith 
taught them and confirmed to them that such suffering was 
God's purpose and immutable will concerning themselves, which, 
whatever attitude towards them he might assume, he could not 
alter, even as he could not in the case of Christ himself. This 
discipline and experience of faith strengthened the martyrs and 
soon accustomed them to suffering, enabling them to go to their 
death with joy and pleasure. 

What noble and enlightened, what strong and courageous 
people God produced by the discipline of cross and affliction! 
We, in contrast, because unwilling to experience such suffering, 
are weak and enervated. If but a little smoke gets into our 
eyes, our joy and courage are gone, likewise our perception of 
God's will, and we can only raise a loud lamentation and cry 
of woe. Just so Christ's disciples in the ship, when they saw 
the tempest approach and the waves beat over the vessel, quite 
forgot, in their trembling and terror, the divine will, although 
Christ was present with them. So also in the time of the mar- 
tyrs, many Christians became timid and at first denied Christ 
from fear of torture or of long confinement in prison. 

It is God's will that we, too, should learn to accustom our- 
selves to these things through temptation and affliction, though 



OCTOBER TWENTIETH 369 

these be hard to bear and the heart is prone to become agitated 
and utter its cry of woe. We can quiet our disturbed hearts, 
saying: I know what is God's thought, his counsel and will in 
Christ, which he will not alter: he has promised me through 
his Son, and confirmed it through my baptism, that he who hears 
and sees the Son shall be delivered from sin and death, and live 
eternally. The heart possessing such knowledge is kindled by 
the Holy Spirit and armed against the flesh, the world and the 
devil. 

(§ttobn oimmtxttlf 

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand 
against the wiles of the devil. Eph. 6: II. 

The devil neither sleeps nor rests, and consequently it is not 
safe for a Christian to fold his hands and be idle. He is to 
consider how he may fortify himself against the power of the 
devil ; for he is not called the prince of this world in vain. He 
rules the world, howls and rages, and cannot bear that a Chris- 
tian makes progress. For thereby a rupture is made in his king- 
dom and his net broken. Hence, wherever possible, he hinders 
the growth and development of the Christian life. When the 
fire of faith is kindled and burns, and the devil feels it and 
becomes aware of it, he immediately attacks it with all his cun- 
ning, for he knows how his kingdom is endangered by it. There- 
fore he endeavors to protect his kingdom with great zeal and 
exerts himself to retain all under his obedience. For that rogue 
has a sharp vision and easily becomes conscious of the presence 
of a true Christian. Therefore he tries to entrap him, surrounds 
and attacks him on all sides; for he cannot bear that any one 
should desert his kingdom. 

On this account it is dangerous to live heedlessly, for the devil 
is likely to take us by surprise. This happens even to the great 

Devotional Readings 24 



370 OCTOBER TWENTY-FIRST 

ones among the saints, who rightly apprehend the Word of God. 
When they think they stand securely, this rogue is behind them, 
strikes them down and wrestles with them until they are van- 
quished. This is what happened to the great men of God, to 
Moses, to Aaron and to the princes of Judah. They had an 
excellent faith, when they led the people out of Egypt, and all 
the people went in faith through the Red Sea, through the 
wilderness and through many wonderful experiences, in which 
they manifested their faith. At last they came to a point where 
they feared that they would have to die of hunger and thirst in 
the parched wilderness. Is it not a pity that after manifesting 
their faith in so many great trials, wrestling with them and 
overcoming them, they should allow themselves to be overcome 
by their belly and murmur against God, and be so fiercely at- 
tacked that they succumbed and allowed themselves to be over- 
thrown by Satan. Hence no one is secure, unless his faith 
continues to grow stronger and stronger. 

ODrtaher Sutettig-ftrat 

The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, 
Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Matt. 
18:26. 

What does the servant do? He foolishly thinks he will pay 
the debt, falls down and asks the Lord to have patience with him. 
This is the torment of all consciences, when sin comes and smarts 
deeply until they feel in what a sad state they are before God ; 
then there is no rest ; they run hither and thither, seek help here 
and there to be freed from sin, and in their presumption think 
they can do enough to pay God in full. Thus we were taught 
hitherto. From this also have come so many pilgrimages, clois- 
ters, masses and other nonsense. So we fasted and scourged 
ourselves, and became monks and nuns. All this came because 



OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND 37 I 

we undertook to begin a life and to do many works of which 
God should take account and allow himself to be paid by them. 
Thus we thought to quiet the conscience and put it at peace 
with God. We acted just like this foolish servant. 

Now a heart that is thus smitten with the law, feels its blows 
and distress, is truly humiliated. Therefore it falls before the 
Lord and asks for grace, except that it still makes the mistake 
of intending to help itself, for this we cannot root out of our 
nature. When the conscience feels such misery, it dare promise 
more than all the angels in heaven are able to fulfil. When 
our consciences were forced in the confessional, we did every- 
thing that was imposed upon us and gave more than was de- 
manded of us. What should the poor people do? They were 
glad to be helped even in this manner; they ran and martyred 
themselves to be rid of their sins. Yet it did no good whatever, 
for the conscience remained in doubt as before, and did not know 
on what terms it stood with God. 

But the Lord comes and sympathizes with this distress, be- 
cause the servant is captive and bound in his sins, and yet is 
such a fool as to want to help himself ; he looks for no mercy, 
knows nothing to say of grace, and feels nothing but sins, which 
press him heavily, and knows of no one to help him. Then his 
lord has mercy on him and sets him free. Thus God deals with 
us. He forgives our debt, because he hears our cries and sees 
our humiliation. 

(§ttobtt 2Jtuetttg-0er0ttb 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the 
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the 
scat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; 
and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Ps. I : 1,2. 

There is a common inquiry among men concerning blessed- 
ness ; there is no one who does not wish that it may be well with 



372 OCTOBER TWENTY-SECOND 

him, and does not dread the thought that it should be ill with 
him. Yet all who have ever inquired into the matter have 
wandered from the knowledge of true blessedness, and those 
have wandered the most widely who have inquired with greatest 
diligence, such as the philosophers, the greatest of whom have 
placed true blessedness in the works of virtue, having rendered 
themselves more unhappy than the rest; they have deprived 
themselves cf the blessings both of this life and of that which 
is to come. The common people, although their ideas were the 
more grossly mad by making blessedness to consist in carnal 
pleasure, enjoyed at least the good of this life. This teacher, 
however, deriving his doctrine from heaven and detesting all 
the devoted endeavors of men, gives this only true definition of 
blessedness which is wholly unknown to men — that he is the 
blessed man who loves the law of God. It is a short definition, 
but it contains a savor that is contrary to all human ideas, and 
especially to human wisdom. 

Is he not a blessed man and one strong in the faith who does 
not walk in the broad way in the midst of the multitudes ; who 
suffers reproaches and many evils from the same, and yet does 
not consent unto them so as to walk with them? Who is not 
deceived by the most specious counsel of the ungodly, which 
might deceive the very elect ? It is a great thing not to be over- 
come by riches, pleasures and honors; but to overcome the 
specious righteousness and wisdom of the ungodly, who direct 
their attacks most of all against pure faith, is the greatest of 
all victories. But you are to notice that these words are the 
words of faith and that they do not speak of men according to 
what they appear to be. For no one would imagine such to be 
the ungodly. The prophet here speaks in the spirit; and spirit- 
ually that is ungodly which the world considers most godly, 
because it is devoid of faith. The ungodly are secure and con- 
fident in their lives, and there is no fear of God before their eyes. 



OCTOBER TWENTY-THIRD 373 



©rinfor 5toumtg-tl}iri)i 



/ thank God upon every remembrance of you, . . . for you? 
fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Phil. 
1: 3, 5. 

Paul rejoices in the gospel with his inmost soul. He thanks 
God that others have come into its fellowship. His confidence 
is firm regarding certain beginners in the faith, and he is so 
interested in their salvation as to rejoice in it as much as in his 
own, apparently unable to thank God sufficiently for it. He 
prays unceasingly that he may live to see many come with him 
into such fellowship and be preserved therein until the day of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall perfect and complete all the 
defects of this earthly life. He prays these beginners may go 
forth faultlessly in faith and hope until that joyful day. 

Thus the apostle pours out the depths of his heart, filled with 
the real fruits of the Spirit and of faith. He burns with love 
and joy whenever he sees the gospel recognized, accepted and 
honored, and the Church flourishing. For the converts he can 
conceive of no loftier desire — can offer no greater petition for 
them than to implore God that they may increase and persevere 
in the gospel faith. Such is the inestimable value he places upon 
possessing and holding fast God's Word. 

Paul is here an example of gratitude for us. It behooves the 
Christian who recognizes the grace and goodness of God, ex- 
pressed in the gospel, first of all to manifest his thankfulness 
toward God and then toward men. As Christians who have 
abandoned the false services and sacrifices that in our past 
heathenish blindness we zealously practiced, let us remember our 
obligation henceforth to be the more fervent in offering true 
service and right sacrifices to God. We can render him no 
better service than the thank-offering, as the Scriptures call it. 



374 OCTOBER TWENTY-FOURTH 

That is, receiving and honoring the grace of God and the preach- 
ing and hearing of his Word, and furthering their operation, 
not only in word, but sincerely in our hearts and with all our 
physical and spiritual powers. This is the truest gratitude. 

These words therefore give us an exact delineation of the 
Christian that believes in the holy gospel. Such hearts are rare 
in the world and especially difficult to find, unless it be among 
the beloved apostles or those who approach them in the likeness 
of Christ. Let us not be found unthankful, and forgetful of 
God's infinite goodness. 

©rioter ®ttf£ntg-ftmrt!j 

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good 
works , and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:16. 

Let the Christian know that his earthly life is not unto him- 
self, nor for his own sake; his life and work belong to Christ, 
his Lord. Hence his walk must be such as shall contribute to 
the honor and glory of his Master, whom he should so serve 
that he may be able to say with Paul, not only with respect to 
the spiritual life — the life of faith and righteousness by grace 
— but also with respect to its fruits — the outward conduct : 
"It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me." The 
world is to recognize Christ by his shining in us. 

It is an astonishing fact that the world is merged into so great 
darkness that it utterly disregards the Word of God and the 
conditions he designed for our daily living. If we preach faith 
in God's Word the world receives it as heresy. If we speak of 
works instituted of God himself and conditions of his own ap- 
pointing, the world regards it as idle talk. Living a simple 
Christian life in one's own family, or performing faithfully the 
duties of a servant, is of no value, but it says: "Oh, that is 
merely the following of worldly pursuits. To do good works 



OCTOBER TWENTY-FIFTH 375 

you must set about in a different way. You must creep into a 
corner, don a cap, make pilgrimages to some saint; then you 
may be able to help yourself and others to gain heaven." 

The Scriptures teach no other good works than God enjoins 
upon all men in the ten commandments and which pertain to 
the common conditions of life. True, these do not make such 
a brilliant show in the eyes of the world as do the self-appointed 
ceremonials constituting the divine service of the hypocrites; 
but they are true, worthy, good and profitable works in the 
sight of God and man. What can be more acceptable to God 
and advantageous to man than a life lived, in its own calling, 
in the way that contributes to the honor of God, and that by its 
example influences others to love God's Word and to praise his 
name ? Therefore, influence men by your godly walk and good 
works to believe in Christ and to glorify him. 

(§ttobn SEuHmijj-ftftl! 

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
peace. Eph. 4:3. 

Christians should feel bound to maintain the unity of the 
Spirit, since they are all members of one body and partakers of 
the same spiritual blessings. They have the same priceless treas- 
ures — one God and Father in heaven, one Lord and Saviour, 
one Word, baptism and faith ; in short, one and the same salva- 
tion, a blessing common to all, whereof one has as much as an- 
other, and cannot obtain more. 

The unity of the Church does not consist in similarity of 
outward form of government, likeness of law, tradition and 
ecclesiastical customs. The Church is called "one holy, Chris- 
tian Church," because it represents one plain, pure gospel doc- 
trine, and an outward confession thereof, always and every- 
where, regardless of dissimilarity of physical life, or outward 



376 OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH 

ordinances, customs and ceremonies. But they are not members 
of the true Church of Christ who, instead of preserving unity 
of doctrine and oneness of Christian faith, cause divisions and 
offenses by human doctrines and self-appointed works for which 
they contend, imposing them upon all Christians as necessary. 

One of the wickedest offenses possible to commit against the 
Church is the stirring up of doctrinal discord and division, a 
thing the devil encourages to the utmost. This sin usually arises 
in certain haughty, conceited, self-seeking leaders who desire 
peculiar distinction for themselves and strive for personal honor 
and glory. They will give honor to no one, even when they 
recognize the superiority of his gifts over their own. In their 
envy and vengefulness they seek occasion to create factions and 
to draw people to themselves. Many are deceived and im- 
mediately respond to the new doctrine presented in specious 
words by presumptuous leaders thirsting for fame. Many weak 
but well-meaning ones fall to doubting; many become reckless 
pleasure lovers, disregarding all religion and ignoring the Word 
of God. Even they who are called Christians come to have 
hard feelings against one another, their love grows cold and 
faith is extinguished. Christians, then, should be careful to 
give no occasion for division or discord. They must strive 
against them, submitting to all suffering and performing all de- 
mands to prevent, so far as possible, any disturbance of the unity 
of doctrine, of faith and of Spirit. 



/ thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God 
which is given you by Jesus Christ. I Cor. 1 : 4. 

We have before us the opening words of the first Epistle to 
the Corinthians, which Paul was moved to write because of 
unpleasant conditions in the church at Corinth after his depar- 



OCTOBER TWENTY-SIXTH 377 

ture. Divisions had arisen and sad confusion prevailed in doc- 
trine and life. Hence the apostle was constrained to rebuke 
their wickedness and correct their infirmities. Because of these 
wholesome admonitions, the reading and heeding of this epistle 
is not only profitable but essential, for the devil takes no respite, 
but whenever the gospel is preached in its purity he mixes with 
the children of God and sows his tares. 

Paul begins very leniently, showing them what they have re- 
ceived through the gospel. His purpose is to arouse their grati- 
tude to God, and to induce them, for his honor and glory, to be 
harmonious in doctrine and life, avoiding divisions and other 
offenses. Paul would say: What abundant grace and gifts have 
been given you of God ! They are bestowed, not because of your 
righteousness, merits and works; nay, all these blessings have 
been freely given you in Christ and for his sake, through the 
preaching of the gospel. The gospel is a grace which brings to 
you all manner of gifts, by him enriching you in everything. 

He gives them an example of his own gratitude, thanking God 
on their behalf, for the purpose of calling forth their especial 
gratitude when they should consider what they formerly were 
and what they now had received through the gospel. He would 
have them beware lest, forgetful of their former misery and 
present grace, they relapse into their old blindness. We are 
aware of the great benefits bestowed upon us, but at the same 
time we see and realize that the devil instigates divisions and 
scandals. The cause of these evils may be traced to our ingrati- 
tude. Where God's mercies are lightly dismissed from the mind 
and disregarded, gratitude and regard for God's Word cannot 
be the result ; satiated, listless Christians go their way fancying 
that their spiritual conditions always were and always will be 
as now. The people, therefore, must be awakened to consider 
their former destitution, the wretchedness in which they were, 
that they may return thanks to God and recount the superior 
and wonderful gifts which have enriched them in all things. 



378 OCTOBER TWENTY-SEVENTH 

Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his 
house. Prov. 17: 13. 

The heathen everywhere, despite their ignorance of God and 
his grace, condemned even to the utmost the evil of ingratitude. 
They regarded it the mother of evils, than which was none 
more malevolent and shameful. Among many examples in this 
respect is one left us by a people in Arabia called Nabathians, 
who had an excellent form of government. So strict were they 
in regard to this evil that any one found guilty of ingratitude 
to his fellows was looked upon as a murderer and punished 
with death. 

No sin is more abominable to human nature, and of none is 
human nature less tolerant. It is easier to forgive and forget 
the act of an enemy who commits a bodily injury, or even mur- 
ders one's parents, than it is to forget the sin of him who repays 
simple kindness and fidelity with ingratitude and faithlessness; 
who for love and friendship returns hatred. In the sentiment 
of the Latin proverb, to be so rewarded is like rearing a serpent 
in one's bosom. God likewise regards this sin with extreme 
enmity and punishes it. 

Thus we have the teaching of nature and of reason regarding 
the sin of men's ingratitude toward one another. How much 
greater the evil, how much more shameful and accursed, when 
manifested toward God, who, in his infinite and ineffable good- 
ness, conferred upon us while yet enemies of him and deserving 
of the fires of hell, not ten dollars, not a hundred thousand 
dollars even, but redemption from divine wrath and eternal 
death, and abundantly comforted us, granting safety, a good 
conscience, peace and salvation! These are inexpressible bless- 
ings, incomprehensible in this life. And they will continue to 



OCTOBER TWENTY-EIGHTH 379 

occupy our minds in yonder eternal life. How much more awful 
the sin of ingratitude for these blessings as exemplified in the 
servant mentioned in the gospel to whom was forgiven the debt 
of ten thousand talents and who yet would not forgive the debt 
of his fellow-servant who owed him a hundred pence! 

©rtnfor Sumtig-ngtjtlj 

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be 
likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. 
Rom. 15:5. 

God gives patience and consolation. As he is the God of 
heaven and earth, so he is the God of patience and consolation. 
All are his gifts. If they are given, they are not of nature, but 
of grace. If God does not direct his Word to the heart to fit 
the needs of the individual, the heart will never discover this 
patience and consolation. But when he gives grace to search the 
Scriptures, he likewise gives these gifts. There is no more 
marked manifestation of God's wrath than the fact that he per- 
mits the decline of his spoken and written Word. On the other 
hand, God gives no greater blessing than when he exalts his 
Word among us and permits it to be read. 

The apostle enjoins the Romans to be of one mind and tol- 
erant of one another. The weak in conscience should accept 
as right what they of strong faith and sound conscience observe. 
The effort should be for a oneness of faith and conscience, and 
a sameness of opinion to avoid the wrangling occasioned by 
conflicting personal ideas of what is right. It is not necessary 
that we should all follow the same occupation. One may be a 
smith and another a tailor without impairing unity of faith and 
purpose, only let one tolerate the outward calling of the other. 
As privilege of occupation is right, so in external things of 
meats, apparel and place, we are at liberty to follow our own 



380 OCTOBER TWENTY-NINTH 

pleasure. It is not wrong to fast in honor of the name of an 
apostle, or to confess during Lent. But neither does he who 
omits these things commit any evil by this omission. Let not 
one censure, judge, condemn and quarrel with his fellow over 
the matter. But I refer to toleration only in things wherein we 
are at liberty to be lenient. We are to permit the weak in 
faith to continue in their practices for a time until we are 
finally able to extricate them from error. They must not be 
too hastily and rashly rejected with disastrous results to their 
consciences. 

The apostle enjoins us to be likeminded according to Christ 
Jesus; that is, from a Christian point of view. For unbeliev- 
ers, too, are likeminded, but according to the flesh, the world 
and the devil, and not according to Christ. The Jews were of 
one mind against Christ and against his Church. Christian 
unity resists sin and everything opposed to the religion of Christ. 

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till 
I make thine enemies thy footstool. Matt. 22 : 44. 

Here Christ does not explain, but only says that David in his 
Psalm called Christ his Lord. "How then doth David in the 
Spirit call him Lord?" It does not sound right and it is con- 
trary to nature for a father to call his son lord, be subject to 
him and serve him. Now David calls Christ his Lord, and to 
whom the Lord himself says: "Sit thou on my right hand until 
I make thine enemies thy footstool," that is, be like me, acknowl- 
edged and worshiped as the right and true God; for it becom- 
eth none other to sit at his right hand; he is indeed so jealous 
that he allows no one to sit equal to him, as he says: "My 
glory will I not give to another." 

Since the Lord now makes Christ equal to himself, he must 



OCTOBER THIRTIETH 38 1 



be above all creatures. Therefore he proposes to the Jews a 
great question, without solving it; for they did not understand 
it and the time had not yet come to make this publicly known. 
But the meaning is as our articles of faith teach us to believe, 
that Christ was both David's true natural son, of his blood 
and flesh, and also David's Lord, whom David himself must 
worship and hold as God. However, it was impossible to make 
these statements harmonize, as it is still impossible for human 
reason, where the Holy Spirit does not reveal it, to comprehend 
how the two should be at the same time in the one Christ, that 
he was truly David's seed and God's Son by nature. 

Now Christ propounded this question to teach that it is not 
enough to have the law, which only shows from what state we 
have fallen; but that Christ must be born, not in sin as David 
and all men are born, but had to be born without man of the 
virgin, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, born a real, true man, yet 
without sin. He is the only man that has been able to keep and 
fulfil the law. This one must intercede in our behalf before 
God and be our right hand and protection, in whom we have 
forgiveness of sins and deliverance from God's anger and hell. 
He also gives us the Holy Spirit to follow him until we come 
to him and be like him without any sin and in perfect right- 
eousness. 



(§ctobn Sljtrttrtlj 



The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of 
the ungodly shall perish. Ps. 1 : 6. 

The way of the ungodly is so specious that unto men they 
may seem to rise in the judgment and to stand in the congre- 
gation. But he who cannot be deceived understands their ways 
and knows that they are ungodly ; in his eyes they a/e not at all 
among the members of his Church. He knows the righteous 



382 OCTOBER THIRTIETH 



only and not the sinners, that is, he approves the one and not 
the other. Therefore, their way shall perish, a thing they least 
of all expect or believe, though it continues with such success as 
to seem to be eternal. God knoweth only the way of the right- 
eous, although it is hidden even to the righteous themselves. 
God's right hand leads them on in a wonderful way, seeing 
that it is a way, not of sense, nor of reason, but of faith only; 
even of that faith that sees in darkness and beholds things that 
are invisible. 

When, therefore, we are subject to ungodly shepherds, we do 
not obey the ungodly, but men; for we do not follow their 
ungodliness, but we endure the presence of their persons. When 
men cast out and put down such, is it the ungodly that are put 
down? No, the persons are put down; for the ungodly who 
are put down remain ungodly still. The ungodly man is only 
then put down when he is led from ungodliness to godliness. 
This is not done by external violence but by love, internally 
praying and externally admonishing, while God condescends to 
work at the same time. 

When thou hearest that all things "prosper" for the right- 
eous man, thou art to desire it for thyself and to sigh for all 
those who are placed in any adversity, of whatsoever kind it 
may be; when thou hearest that their leaf doth not wither and 
that the pure Word of God flourisheth in the Church of Christ, 
all fables and dreams of men are cast out ; when thou seest any 
of these things thus take place anywhere thou art to congratu- 
late thyself, to rejoice and give thanks unto the divine goodness. 
And do not think that thou art thus exhorted to impossibilities ; 
only make the attempt and thou wilt be compelled to rejoice 
and be thankful. 



OCTOBER THIRTY-FIRST 38.3 



(Printer GUjtrig-ftrai 



Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain 
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers 
take counsel together, against the Lord and against his 
anointed. Ps. 2 : I, 2. 

It is evident that by "kings" is signified Herod and Pilate, 
even though Pilate was not a king; for these two operated 
together to fulfil that which the counsel of God had fore- 
ordained to be done, namely, to destroy Christ. By "rulers" 
are to be understood the leaders among the priests; by "heathen" 
the Roman soldiers under Pilate, who seized Jesus, scourged and 
crucified him; and by "people" we are clearly to understand the 
common people of the Jews. 

Observe here the tenderness and modesty of the prophet, 
how feelingly and sympathetically he speaks of the fury of 
these men, when he might with justice have mentioned those 
enraged expressions of the Jews, "Away with him, crucify 
him," and all those other infuriated clamors with which they 
accused Christ, frenzied and maddened, but he calls them only 
"meditations." Meditation is a continual prating or talking 
and is here used in a bad sense. For as a lover is always spon- 
taneously saying many things about the object loved, so the 
hater is assiduously prating the worst of things about the object 
hated. There is the same modesty also in the words "rage" 
and "take counsel together;" the act itself was far more atro- 
cious than the purport of these words would seem to indicate. 
We are thereby taught not to exaggerate the evil conduct of 
men, but as much as possible lessen it, and thus show that we 
do not feel so much indignation on our own account as pity on 
theirs. 

"Against the Lord and against his anointed," is also a word 



384 NOVEMBER FIRST 



of faith. God orders his words thus, that we may learn for our 
consolation and exhortation that we never suffer any injury, 
but what it offends God first, more than it does us; and such 
is the care of God our Father over us, that he feels every injury 
done to us before we do, and aims a greater indignation against 
it. This David holds forth to us, that we may keep ourselves 
from all feeling of revenge ; that we may rather pity those whom 
we see rushing upon such majesty unto their own perdition. 
They do not in the least injure us, but horribly destroy them- 
selves. 

•Dfawmfor 3Ftrjst 

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which 
made a marriage for his son. Matt. 22 I 2. 

The great love Christ has for us is presented to us in this 
picture of the marriage feast. There are many kinds of love, 
but none is so fervent as a bride's love for her bridegroom and 
that of the bridegroom for his bride. True love has no regard 
for pleasures or presents, or riches or gold rings, but cares only 
for the bridegroom. Even if he gave her all he had, she would 
regard none of his presents, but would say: I will have only 
thee. And on the other hand if he has nothing at all, it makes 
no difference to her, she will in spite of all that desire him. 
This is the true nature of the love of a bride. But where she 
has regard to pleasure, she does not care for him, but for the 
money ; such love does not last long. 

This true bride-love God presents to us in Christ, in that he 
allowed him to become man for us and be united with our 
human nature that we might thus perceive and appreciate his 
good will toward us. As the bride loves her betrothed, so also 
does Christ love us; and we on our part will love him, if we 
believe and are the true bride. Although he gave us the wis- 



NOVEMBER SECOND 385 



dom of all the prophets, the glory of all the saints and angels, 
and even, heaven, yet would we not esteem them unless he gave 
us himself. The bride can be satisfied with nothing; the only 
one thing she wants is the bridegroom himself. "My beloved 
is mine and I am his." 

So is Christ also disposed toward me; he will have me only 
and nothing besides. If I gave him all I could, it would be of 
no use to him; he would not regard it, if I wore all the hoods 
of all the monks. He wants my whole heart; the outward 
things, as the outward virtues, are only maid-servants, he wants 
the wife herself. He demands my heart. This marriage union 
is accomplished by faith, so that I rely fully and freely upon 
him, that he is mine. If I really have him, what more can I 
desire? If I am his and he is mine, I have eternal life, right- 
eousness and all that belongs to him, so that neither death, sin, 
hell nor Satan can harm me. 



Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on 
the name of the Lord. Acts 22: 16. 

The benefit of the Sacrament of Baptism is this, that therein 
God unites himself with you and becomes one with you in a 
gracious, comforting covenant. You desire, in accordance with 
the purpose and meaning of Baptism, to die from your sins and 
to be renewed on the last day, a hope inspired by the sacrament. 
On the strength of such desire on your part, God admits you to 
Baptism. The renewing work begins from that hour; he im- 
parts to you his grace and Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit 
begins to kill the sin in your nature and to prepare the latter for 
death and for the resurrection on the last day. 

You pledge yourself to remain in this state, and throughout 

Devotional Readings 25 



386 NOVEMBER THIRD 



your life, to the moment of death, to destroy sin more and more. 
God, accepting your pledge, exercises you during yo e ur whole 
life by imposing many good works, and not a few sufferings. 
Since such is your pledge to God, God in turn shows you grace 
and covenants with you that he will not impute to you the sins 
remaining in your nature after Baptism and will not regard 
them, nor condemn you on account of them. He is pleased with 
your effort to destroy sins and your desire to be rid of them. 
Though evil thoughts and desires may stir, though at times you 
sin and fall, yet if you arise and renew your covenant, your sins 
are forgiven by virtue of the covenant based upon the Sacra- 
ment of Baptism. If it were not for this covenant, every sin, 
however small, would condemn us. Hence there is no greater 
comfort on earth than Baptism, in which we pass under the 
jurisdiction of God's grace and mercy. 

Therefore one should not be terrified when he feels evil lust ; 
when one's thoughts and desires burn with passion; even when 
one falls from grace, still there is no ground for despair. But 
he should call to mind his baptism and joyfully comfort himself 
with the fact that God there covenanted to slay his sins and not 
to impute them unto condemnation, provided he refuses to con- 
sent to them and remain in them; provided he calls upon God 
for grace in order to make self-discipline possible; to battle 
against sin until released by death. 

Nntrnttbrr Stytrfc 

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, 
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 15: 6. 

All the good we can do to God is to praise and to thank him. 
This is the only true service we can render him. We receive 
all blessings from him, in return for which we should make the 
offering of praise. If anything else purporting to be service to 



NOVEMBER THIRD 387 



God is presented for your consideration, rest assured it is 
erroneous and delusive. The distracted world attempts to serve 
God by setting apart houses, churches, cloisters, vestures, 
images, bells, organs and candles; the money for this expense 
should have been appropriated for the poor, if the object was to 
make an offering to God. Service to God is praise to him. 
It must be free and voluntary at table, in the chamber, in house 
or field, in all places, with all persons, at all times. 

But how shall there be honor and praise of God, when we 
do not love him? How shall we love him when we do not 
know him and his blessings? How shall we know him and his 
blessings when no word is preached concerning them and when 
the gospel is left to lie under the table? Where the gospel is 
not in evidence, knowledge of God is an impossibility. Then 
to love and praise him is likewise impossible. True divine 
service of praise cannot be established with revenues, nor be 
circumscribed by laws and statutes. It emanates from the gos- 
pel, and certainly is as often rendered by a poor, rustic servant 
as by a great bishop. 

Divine service must be rendered with "one mind" and with 
"one mouth." One needs Christ as much as another. We 
render divine service when we are harmonious, and when we 
recognize our common equality and our common blessings in 
Christ; when none exalts himself above another, nor assumes 
special advantages. We all receive the same baptism and sacra- 
ment, the same faith, the same Christ and Spirit, the same gospel 
— in a word, the same God. Here in this wilderness the heav- 
enly bread is impartially distributed. Then how can it possibly 
be right for one to exalt himself over his fellow? Since there 
is one common blessing for the weak and the firm in faith, for 
the strong in Christian conduct and for the weak, one should 
not esteem another more lfghtly than himself, nor reject him. 



388 NOVEMBER FOURTH 



5fawmb?r Sfamrilf 



He saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither not 
having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Matt. 
22: 12. 

Among the company sitting at table, there was also found a 
rogue, whom the king, in looking over the guests, speedily rec- 
ognized to have on no wedding garment, and to have come, not 
in honor of the wedding, but disgracing the bridegroom and the 
lord who had invited him. These are such as permit themselves 
to be numbered among the Christians, hear the gospel, are in 
the outward communion of the right Church and act before the 
people as if they might also be of the gospel, but are not in 
earnest about it. 

Such people the Christians must suffer in their gatherings 
and cannot prevent them from being amongst them; nor can 
they remove them, nor turn them out of their gatherings. They 
cannot judge and recognize them all, but must bear them and 
suffer their company until God himself comes with his judg- 
ment, so that they become manifest and betray themselves 
by their wicked life or false belief and spirit of heresy as not 
being true and honest Christians. So Paul says: ''There must 
be also heresies among you, that they who are approved may be 
made manifest among you." Thus the king comes in himself 
and makes manifest him who has not on the wedding garment- 
It is easy to understand what is meant by this man's being 
without a wedding garment, namely, without the new adorn- 
ment in which we please God, which is faith in Christ, and 
therefore also without truly good works. He remains in the 
old rags and tatters of his own fleshly conceit, unbelief and 
security, without penitence and without understanding his own 
misery. He does not from the heart seek comfort in the grace 



NOVEMBER FIFTH 389 



of Christ, nor better his life by it, and looks for nothing more 
in the gospel than what his flesh covets. This wedding gar- 
ment is the new light of the heart, kindled in it by the knowl- 
edge of the graciousness of this bridegroom and his wedding 
feast, which takes place especially through faith, by which the 
heart is renewed and purified. Where there is no faith, there 
the Holy Ghost is not, nor such fruits as please God. Who- 
soever does not know Christ through faith will also care little 
for God's Word, nor think of living in accordance with it. He 
remains proud and insolent, but weeping and gnashing of teeth 
come soon enough. 



£fatt*mb*r Ifftflti 



/ acknowledge my transgressions : and my sin is ever before 
me. Ps. 51 : 3. 

Every Christian who wishes to make confession of his sins 
should place his confidence without reserve in the merciful 
promises and invitations of God, firmly believing that Almighty 
God will graciously forgive him his sins. Before he confesses 
his sins to a confessor, let him with due diligence make confes- 
sion to the Lord God himself. Let him enumerate to the divine 
Majesty all his sins and infirmities, his conversation, deeds and 
manner of life without extenuating or concealing anything, just 
as if he dealt with a very familiar friend. His sinful and wicked 
thoughts also, so far as can be recalled, should be confessed. 

Every Christian who would confess his sins should possess 
the honest intention and determination to amend his life and to 
forsake every manner of open, mortal sin. A confession without 
this purpose would be a dangerous and unpromising undertak- 
ing. When one discovers that he lacks the steady purpose to 
amend his life, he should fall upon his knees and pray to God 
for it. One must consider that it is impossible to call to mind 



390 NOVEMBER SIXTH 



and confess all his mortal sins; he should remember that after 
applying all diligence he confesses only the smallest part of his 
sins. The sins to be confessed, therefore, are the manifestly 
mortal sins and such as press upon a man's conscience at the 
time of confession. It is* quite impossible to confess all mortal 
sins in view of the fact that when God sits in judgment and 
passes sentence upon them, not according to his gracious mercy, 
but his stern justice, even our good works render us guilty of 
death and condemnation. 

The sum of the matter is this, that those persons are saved 
who place their trust solely in God, not in their works, nor in 
any creature. Consequently man should learn to have greater 
confidence in God's mercy than in the zeal with which he makes 
confession. One cannot be too active, determined and guarded 
against the accursed evil of confiding in one's own works. There- 
fore we should accustom our consciences to trust in God, and 
let it be done with the understanding that to believe and trust 
in God is pleasing to him, and that unreserved trust in God is 
his highest glory. 

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have 
them in derision. Ps. 2 : 4. 

These things are written for our sake, "that through patience 
and through comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope." 
What is written in this psalm with reference to Christ is ap- 
plicable to all Christians, for whoever sincerely desires to be a 
Christian, will bear with his Herods, his Pilates, his rulers, his 
kings, his people and his heathen who rage against him, meditate 
vain things, rise up and take counsel together against him. For 
if these things are not done by men, they will be done by devils, 
or at least by men's own conscience, and certainly in the hour 



NOVEMBER SEVENTH 391 

of death; then there is need of remembering this and like con- 
solations, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at them; 
the Lord shall have them in derision," and of standing firmly 
in this hope and being moved by no circumstances whatever. 

But this derision is divine. God made the Christ-murdering 
Jews and Gentiles a derision to the whole world by raising 
Christ from the dead and making, out of his despairing kingdom 
among that one people, a kingdom that shall flourish eternally 
over all creatures, thus turning all their endeavors into an event 
the very contrary of what they expected. Therefore as in the 
preceding verses the passion and death of Christ are prophesied, 
so in this verse his resurrection is predicted, though by a some- 
what obscure allusion. Who would have thought, while Christ 
was suffering and the Jews triumphing, that God was laughing 
at them all the while! So also while we are oppressed, how 
shall we believe that God is holding our adversaries in derision, 
when it seems to us as though we were held in derision both 
by God and men? What a power of faith is required in all 
these words! 

But his sitting in heaven is so secret and hidden that unless 
thou be in heaven thou canst not know and understand it. Thou 
art suffering upon earth and the hope of help is denied thee in 
all things by all, until, rising by faith and hope above all things, 
thou mountest up to reach unto him who sitteth in the heavens. 
Here it is that the anchor of our heart is to be cast in all tribula- 
tion, and all the evils of the world will not only be made easy 
to bear, but will become a derision. 

This do in remembrance of me. Luke 22: 19. 
If you desire to render a precious noble service to God, and 
duly to honor the passion of Christ, bethink yourself of the 



392 NOVEMBER SEVENTH 

Sacrament and partake of it. His praise and honor are bound 
up with it. This is his memorial. There is no show of gar- 
ment or ceremony filling the eye. The only agent at work is 
the spoken Word. On earth the Word may be lowly esteemed ; 
but no eye can see, no ear can hear, no heart can comprehend 
its worth and sublimity in the eyes of God and his angels. 
God's Word and work at first but feebly impress. Hence they 
require application and meditation. This art is effectively taught 
in the words, "This do in remembrance of me." Receive, pro- 
claim, praise and laud the tidings of the grace manifested in 
Christ and thank him for it. Thus you will confess with heart 
and mouth, with body and soul, that you have given God noth- 
ing, that you can give him nothing, but everything you have has 
been received from him, especially eternal life and infinite right- 
eousness in Christ. 

He who remembers Christ and honors his passion is safe- 
guarded against error and devilish delusions of every kind. He 
serves and honors God. He does not despise God's institution 
and order, but observes it with humility and joy. God certainly 
receives such honor gladly, since he has instituted the Holy 
Supper to be appropriated, and not to be neglected. Surely he 
cannot be delighted when man does not approach and receive it. 
Such neglect means to charge God with the folly of instituting 
unnecessary ordinances and with uncertainty as to what we need. 
But he who partakes, honors God by celebrating and aiding in 
the perpetuation of this memorial of Christ by proclaiming, 
praising and blessing the grace manifested by Christ, through 
his suffering, to us poor sinners. With the Lord's Supper God 
has bound up his own honor, for in Christ alone he desires to be 
acknowledged and worshiped as our God. So far as the Holy 
Supper is a confession before men, the communicant proclaims 
Christ and teaches faith in him. He helps to spread and pre- 
serve the kingdom of Christ, strengthens the influence of gospel 



NOVEMBER EIGHTH 393 



and sacrament, aids in the conversion of sinners and in storming 
the devil's kingdom. 



Nowmfor iEtgljtlj 



Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the 
man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he 
went his way. John 4: 50. 

The nobleman must have had faith, else he would not 
have asked the Lord to come to his son. He believed that if 
Christ would come to his house, he could heal his son ; but unless 
he were present, he could not effect the cure. His faith was 
not strong enough to realize that Christ could heal without 
being present. Hence, his faith had to attain a higher stage. 
When Christ said, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will 
not believe," his faith drooped and he feared lest Christ would 
refuse to help him. The earthen vessel was shattered and he 
thought his son had to die. But Christ approached, raised him 
up, and placed him on a higher plane of faith. "Go thy way; 
thy son liveth." Thus the man advanced from his first faith, 
when he believed that Christ could heal if he were present, 
to a higher stage of faith, by reason of which he now believed 
the mere Word of Christ. For if he had not believed the Word, 
he would not have ceased until the Lord had accompanied him 
to his house; but he accepted the Word, believed Christ and 
clung to his Word. 

This is a pure and strong faith, that requires the individual 
to cast away all sense, understanding and reason, and sink him- 
self into one little word, be satisfied with it and feel secure in it. 
Reason would have led him to say: When I left my son, he 
was ill. As I left him so shall I find him. But faith says the 
contrary, abides firmly by the Word and is immersed in it; 



394 NOVEMBER NINTH 



it does not at all doubt that it shall be as the Word declares. 
The father accepted the word of Christ, "Go thy way ; thy son 
liveth," and so he said in his heart: My son is ill, but I shall 
find him well. This was faith over against reason and ex- 
perience. Thus faith does not remain idle or quiet, but pro- 
gresses and rises higher. 

So Christ also deals with us and permits us to be tried to 
strengthen our faith. If at the close of our lives we shall have 
a spark of such faith, it will be well with us. It matters not 
how insignificant faith may be, the power lies in seeing that 
it be not overthrown. 



Niroembtfr Nttttlf 



Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for 
our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the 
scriptures might have hope. Rom. 15: 4. 

The apostle gives us a general admonition from the Scrip- 
tures, saying that not only this passage, but the entire Scrip- 
tures were written for our learning. The Bible contains much 
about Christ, and also about numerous saints — Adam, Abel, 
Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob — which was not recorded for 
their sakes. The Bible was written long after their time ; they 
never saw it. Thus, however much is written about Christ, it 
is not for his sake ; he had no need of it. It is recorded for our 
instruction. The record of Christ's words and deeds is for our 
edification, the model for us to follow. Although the words 
are about Christ, they are directed to us, for our learning; we 
are to conduct ourselves as the Scriptures tell us Christ and 
his saints conducted themselves. 

Mark the book the apostle here presents for the perusal and 
study of Christians — none other than the holy Scriptures. He 



NOVEMBER TENTH 395 



tells us it contains doctrine for us. Now if our doctrine is to 
be found in the Bible, we certainly should not seek it elsewhere ; 
all Christians should make daily use of this book. No other 
bears the title here given by Paul — book of comfort — one 
that can support the soul in all tribulations, helping it not to 
despair, but to maintain hope. For thereby the soul apprehends 
God's Word and, learning his gracious will, cleaves to it and 
continues steadfast in life and death. He who knows not God's 
will must doubt, for he does not know what relation he sustains 
to God. 

Since the life to come is not evident to mortal sense, it is 
necessary for the soul to have something to which it may cling 
in patience, something to help it to a partial comprehension of 
that future life, and upon which it can rest. That something 
is God's Word. Paul mentions "patience" before "comfort" 
to indicate that he who is unwilling to endure suffering and 
seeks consolation elsewhere cannot taste the comfort of the 
Word. It is the province of the Word alone to comfort. It 
must therefore meet with patience first. To maintain Christian 
patience under trials, the afflicted must comfort themselves with 
those portions of Scripture that show Christ's example. Thus 
the hope of the soul continues steadfast. 

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; 
and they are they which testify of me. John 5 : 39. 

The external word or preaching belongs to Christianity as a 
channel or means through which we attain unto the forgiveness 
of sins, or the righteousness of Christ, with which Christ reveals 
and offers us his grace or lays it in our bosom, and without 
which no one would ever come to a knowledge of this treasure. 
Whence would any man know, or in what man's heart would 



396 NOVEMBER TENTH 



it ever come, that Christ, the Son of God, came from heaven 
for our sake, died for us, and rose from the dead, acquired the 
forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and offers the same to us, 
without publicly having it announced and preached? Although 
he acquired this treasure for us through his suffering and death, 
no one could obtain or receive it, if Christ did not have it 
offered, presented, and applied. All that he had done and suf- 
fered would be to no purpose, but would be like some great and 
precious treasure buried in the earth, which no one could find 
or use. 

Therefore I have always taught that the oral word must 
precede everything else, must be comprehended with the ears, 
if the Holy Ghost is to enter the heart, who through the Word 
enlightens it and works faith. Faith does not come except 
through the hearing and oral preaching of the gospel, in which 
it has its beginning, growth and strength. Therefore the Word 
must not be despised, but held in honor. We must familiarize 
ourselves with it and constantly practice it, so that it ever bears 
fruit. It can never be understood and learned too well. 

Here then you have all that belongs to the article of the 
righteousness of Christ. It consists in the forgiveness of sins, 
offered to us through Christ, and received by faith in and 
through the Word, purely and simply without any works on our 
part. Yet I do not mean that Christians should not do good 
works, but that these are not to be mingled in the doctrine of 
faith and decorated with the shameless delusion that they avail 
before God as righteousness. After we have this righteousness 
of faith, works are to follow and continue here on earth. Both 
faith and works are to be maintained, each in its proper place, 
the former before God above all works, the latter in works of 
love to our neighbor. 



NOVEMBER ELEVENTH 397 



Nnwmber lEbwniij 



Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash 
them in pieces like a potter s vessel. Ps. 2 : 9. 

Here the vain dreams of the flesh are to be removed, and no 
one is to imagine that the kingdom of Christ is either founded 
on or preserved by iron or arms ; because it is written that he de- 
lighted not in chariots, nor in horses, nor in the legs of a man. 
The apostle says : "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal." 
The Turks, whom at this day we never seek to conquer by any 
other means than the sword, we ought to conquer by increasing 
the number of Christians among them. 

Why do we not attack with the sword also the wicked among 
ourselves? But God forbid. The kingdom of Christ consists 
in righteousness, truth and peace. By these it was obtained 
and by them it will be preserved. Hence, when he said above 
that he was appointed king, he recommended no other office 
whatever than that of the Word, saying, "I will declare the 
decree of God," not, I will ride fine horses, I will lay waste 
cities, I will seek the treasures of the world ; but I will do this 
one thing — declare those things which God has commanded, 
that is, that Christ is God and man, which Paul calls the gospel, 
saying, "Separated unto the gospel of God, which he had prom- 
ised afore, concerning his Son Jesus Christ." 

You see that this whole verse is an allegory which really takes 
place in fact and life. As the word "Christ" is the word of 
salvation and peace, not in the flesh, but in the spirit, it follows 
of necessity that it subdues and drives out the safety, peace and 
easy life of the flesh. Where it does this, it appears unto the 
flesh harder and more unfeeling than iron itself. Wherever 
the carnal man is savingly touched by the Word of God, one 
thing is felt, another is wrought, namely, "The Lord killeth 



398 NOVEMBER TWELFTH 

and maketh alive." Though God is the God of life and salva- 
tion and these are his proper works, ,yet, in order to accomplish 
these, he kills and destroys, that he may come unto his proper 
work. He kills our will, that he may establish his own in us. 
He mortifies the flesh and its desires, that he may implant the 
Spirit and his desires; and thus "the man of God is made per- 
fect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 

Many are called, but few are chosen. Matt. 22: 14. 

God deals with us in a way to put down arrogance, that we 
may not become haughty and wanton, but may always remain 
in fear. For when temptation comes we are liable to fall into 
error. Peter on the water retained his pure faith as long as 
he unhesitatingly ventured on the water according to the word 
of Christ. Had he remained in this faith, he might have walked 
hundreds of miles on the water; but as soon as he wavered he 
began to sink. So Moses also had a strong faith, but at times 
fell from it. Thus it happens that one may have a strong faith, 
but doubts and falls. By faith Moses led the people of Israel 
through the midst of the sea and through death, and Peter 
boldly ventured on the sea; but they both fell, although God 
raised them up again. The thief on the cross laid hold on faith 
once for all and clung to it. 

We have a beautiful parable of this in the tree which begins 
to blossom in the spring and is soon covered with white blos- 
soms. But as soon as the rain falls on them, many of the blos- 
soms are ruined and the frost utterly destroys many more of 
them. When the fruit begins to appear and the winds arise, 
much of the young fruit falls to the ground; later the cater- 
pillars and worms make their appearance and they prick and 
destroy the fruit to such an extent, that scarcely the twentieth, 



NOVEMBER THIRTEENTH 399 

yea, hardly a hundredth part ripens. The same thing happens 
to the gospel. At first everybody wants to become a Christian, 
and the gospel promises to do well, but as soon as the rain and 
wind of temptation come, large numbers fall away. Afterwards 
come the sects and factions, like worms and beetles, which prick 
and pollute the fruit of the gospel, and so much false doctrine 
is taught, that only a few remain faithful to the gospel. 

The first thing that faith requires is that we be not secure 
and presumptuous, but remain in fear. We need to cling to 
God and pray: Merciful God, thou hast permitted me to become 
a Christian, help me to continue to be one and to increase daily 
in faith. 

•Bftromfor SEIjtrimttlj 

Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: . . .let them 
also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Ps. 5: II. 

Here we are told when and what joy is, namely, confidence 
and a good conscience resting in the mercy of God. They 
that have had experience in these things say that there is no 
joy above that of a pure conscience, nor any sorrow greater than 
that of a guilty and troubled one. A pure and joyful conscience 
comes in no other way than by looking steadfastly to the mercy 
of God. In the former part of this verse he describes the joy 
in tribulation; in the latter part the joy of prosperity, which 
cannot be true and sincere unless it be a rejoicing in God only. 
This verse briefly makes a distinction between prosperity and 
adversity. It is impossible that he who does not trust in the 
Lord should not be filled with sorrow when tribulation comes 
upon him. He who is in sorrow cannot but continually mur- 
mur, because there is no praising of God without joy of heart, 
and this sorrowful and impatient murmurer must displease God 
and be more and more forsaken of him. 



400 NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH 

On the other hand it is impossible that he should not rejoice 
who trusts in God. If the whole world should burst upon the 
head of such a one he would stand unmoved amid the falling 
ruins. He who is joyful in such hope cannot but think well of 
God, exult in his praise, and encourage himself in him. The 
man who thus rejoices is patient, happy and in a state to be 
protected of God. Nor will such a one rejoice, hope and exult 
in vain, for God will preserve him. If then thy soul be sad and 
cast down, begin some joyful song or psalm or something that 
brings thy God to thy memory and thou wilt find relief and 
wilt prove that the counsel of the wise man it good: "In the 
day of evil be not unmindful of good things." 

By the name of the Lord we may understand Jesus Christ, 
or Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All these are names of God. 
They who love the name of Jesus love the salvation of God, 
the truth, the mercy and the wisdom of God; all these are in- 
cluded in the name of the Lord. If a man love these he must 
of necessity love the name of the Lord. 

This is my body, which is given for you: . . . This cup is the 
new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22 : 
19, 20. 

The words "my" and "you" are words of unmistakable sig- 
nificance. Who is it that says "my body," "my blood"? The 
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who shed his blood and died 
for you. When he says, "my body," "my blood," he merely asks 
"you" to acknowledge and believe it, to rest in such faith and 
render him thanks for what cost him so bitterly. He would not 
have you shamefully despise his Sacrament or lightly neglect it 
because it is to be had without price or effort. 

But you may argue that the statement of Paul is too awful, 



NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH 4OI 

when he says, whosoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of 
the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks judgment unto himself, 
and is guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. Dear 
friend, you must not consider yourself so much from the stand- 
point of worthiness or unworthiness of your person as from that 
of your need, which makes the grace of Christ necessary. If 
you recognize and feel your need, you have the requisite worthi- 
ness and preparation. The Holy Supper has been instituted by 
Christ, not as a poison for us and as a sign of Christ's wrath, 
but as a means of comfort and salvation. Above all, you must 
realize that however great 5 r our unworthiness, the merit of your 
Lord Jesus Christ cannot be doubted. It is your duty to praise, 
honor and thank him, and to be one of the observers of his 
ordinance and institution, as he has a right to expect and as 
you have vowed in your baptism. 

There is a twofold reason for you to receive the Lord's Sup- 
per. It means gratitude and praise for Christ, and grace and 
solace for yourself. To occupy the standpoint of this twofold 
reason does not argue wickedness and a misuse of the Sacrament ; 
it is the right standpoint and pleasing to God. Our relation to 
God is right only when we occupy the standpoint of gratitude 
and supplication. In rendering thanks we honor him for the 
blessings and grace already received, in supplication for those 
we crave for the future. When one goes to the Holy Supper 
with this disposition, what is his act but the declaration: Lord, 
I thank thee for all the grace I have received at thy hands, and 
I pray thee to supply still further my need? You cannot more 
highly honor God. 



Devotional Readings 26 



402 NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH 



£fawmb*r Jfftftwtttlf 



Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but 
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which 
is of God by faith. Phil. 3 : 9. 

As far as the righteousness of the law is concerned, Paul dares 
to say that he regards it as filth and refuse; notwithstanding in 
its beautiful and blameless form it is unsurpassed by anything 
in the world. Only the righteousness of faith teaches us how 
to apprehend God — how confidently to console ourselves with 
his grace and await a future life, expecting to approach Christ 
in the resurrection. By "approaching" him we mean to meet 
him in death and at the judgment day without terror, not flee- 
ing, but gladly drawing near and hailing him with joy as the 
one awaited with intense longing. 

Now, the righteousness of the law cannot effect such confi- 
dence of mind. Hence, for me it avails nothing before God. 
What does avail is God's imputation of righteousness for Christ's 
sake through faith. God declares to us in his Word that the 
believer in his Son shall, for Christ's sake, have God's grace 
and eternal life. He who knows this is able to wait in hope 
for the last day, having no fear, no disposition to flee. 

But is it not treating the righteousness of the law with ir- 
reverence and contempt to regard it as something not only use- 
less, but loathsome and abominable? Should we not condemn 
as a heretic this preacher who goes beyond his prerogative and 
dares find fault with the law of God? Paul would say: I, too, 
was such a one. In my most perfect righteousness of the law 
I was an enemy and persecutor of the Church of Christ. It 
was the legitimate fruit of my righteousness that I thought I 
must be a party to the most horrible persecution of Christ and 
his Christians. Thus my holiness made me an actual enemy of 
Christ and a murderer of his followers. 



NOVEMBER SIXTEENTH 403 

Whence such a disposition ? It naturally springs from human 
righteousness. Every individual who professes human righteous- 
ness, and knows nothing of Christ, holds that righteousness 
efficacious before God. He relies upon it and gratifies himself 
with it, presuming thereby to present a flattering appearance 
in God's sight and to render himself especially acceptable to him. 
His enmity is greater and his hatred more bitter toward the 
preaching that dares to censure such righteousness and assert its 
futility to merit God's grace and eternal life. 

•Dfatmnber 9tetmtll|[ 

This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of 
bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daugh- 
ters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 
And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: 
therefore I took them away as I saw good. Ezek. 16: 49, 50. 

These same conditions now exist everywhere. Every peasant, 
burgher, nobleman is simply gathering dollars, waits and saves, 
eats and drinks, is insolent and mischievous as though God were 
nothing at all. No one cares for the despised Jesus in his pover- 
ty ; nay, he is even trod under foot, until all obedience, discipline 
and honor are destroyed among us, as they were in Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and matters become so bad as to become unbearable, 
because all admonition and preaching seem to be of no avail. 
The world will not recognize that it must die and stand before 
God in judgment, but rages against known truth. Let us give 
heed and take it to heart, that the wrath of God may not also 
sweep us away. What else would God need to do to that end 
than let loose both the Turks and Satan against us. The Turk 
would be compelled to cease doing what he has done and is 
still doing, were we not so hardened in blindness and impeni- 
tence and io completely ripe for judgment. The reason is that 



4O4 NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH 

we rage so blasphemously against God's Word and his prof- 
fered help. 

I hold that if we Lutherans, as they call us, were only dead, 
the whole world would immediately cry, "Victory','' as though 
they had already devoured every single Turk. But it shall 
happen to them also that a hundred shall be slain by one Turk. 
The younkers at Jerusalem thought, if they could only put the 
prophet Jeremiah out of the way they would surely be safe from 
the king of Babylon. What happened? After they had cast 
Jeremiah into the dungeon, the king came and led them all into 
captivity. 

I can also see that God has spun a web over Germany as it 
is determined to be guilty of willful blindness, wickedness and 
ungratefulness in opposing the precious gospel. It is determined 
to be guilty of foolishness before God for which it will have to 
pay dearly.* May God preserve us and grant us and our little 
flock that we may escape this terrible wrath, and be found 
among those who honor and serve our dear Christ, and await 
the judgment at his right hand joyously and blissfully. Amen. 



Nawmber &mntmttl|[ 

Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory 
of God. Rom. 15: 7. 

There are two reasons why we should receive one another. 
The first is because of Christ's example. The Scriptures present 
Christ to us as one upon whom fell the infamy of our sins — 
for us he was ignominious in God's sight — and who did not 
despise, reject nor revile us, but received us, that he might 
redeem us from our sins. We are, then, under particular obli- 
gation to receive one another. The other reason the apostle 



Think of the ravages of the thirty years' war in Germany. 



NOVEMBER SEVENTEENTH 405 

presents for our receiving one another is that thus we contribute 
to the praise and honor of God. This we learn from Christ. 
He everywhere testifies that all he does is in obedience to his 
Father's will, and that he came for no other purpose than to do 
the will of God. It is certain, then, that he bore the ignominy 
of our sins simply because it was his Father's will. 

Mark the exceeding mercy of the Father's controlling will in 
placing upon his beloved Son our sins, and permitting him to 
bear the shame of them, merely that we might escape condemna- 
tion. A true recognition of this, God's gracious will, must 
evoke sincere love and praise to him and gratitude for his mercy. 
Christ has in himself upheld the honor of God by receiving us 
and bearing our sins. So should we likewise take upon ourselves 
the burdens, the sins and imperfections of our neighbors, and 
bear with them and help reform them. 

When such Christian conduct is manifest before sinners and 
che spiritually weak, their hearts are attracted to God and 
forced to exclaim : Truly, he must be a great and gracious God, 
a righteous Father, whose people these are; for he desires them 
not to judge, condemn nor reject us poor, sinful and imperfect 
ones, but rather to receive us, to give us aid and to treat us as 
if our sins and imperfections were their own. Should we not 
love and exalt such a God? Should we not praise and honor 
him and give him the implicit confidence of our hearts in all 
things? This is the praise God would have from us, that we 
receive and regard our neighbor's condition as our own. Such 
conduct on our part will encourage others to believe and will 
strengthen the faith of believers. 



406 NOVEMBER EIGHTEENTH 



Sfatf*mb*r lEtgijtwtttlj 

With thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come 
mto the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' 
wives with thee. Gen. 6: 18. 

Interpreters discuss what that covenant was. Lyra explains 
it as the promise to defend him against evil men who had threat- 
ened to murder him. Burgensis claims this covenant referc to 
the perils amid the waters, which were to be warded off. Still 
others believe it was the covenant of the rainbow, which the 
Lord made with Noah. In my opinion he speaks of a spiritual 
covenant, or of the promise of the seed which was to bruise 
the serpent's head. The giants had this covenant, but when its 
abuse resulted in pride and wickedness, they fell from it. So 
it was afterward with the Jews, whose carnal presumption in 
reference to God, the law, worship and temple led to their loss 
of these gifts, and they perished. To Noah, however, God con- 
firms this covenant by certainly declaring that Christ was to be 
born from his posterity and that God would leave, amid such 
great wrath, a nursery for the Church. This covenant not only 
includes protection of Noah's body, the view advocated by Lyra 
and Burgensis, but also eternal life. 

He plainly states "with thee." He mentions not the sons, 
nor the wives, whom he was also to save, but he mentions Noah 
alone, from whom the promise was transmitted to his son Shem. 
This is the second promise of Christ, which is taken from all 
other descendants of Adam and committed to Noah alone. Af- 
terward this promise is made clearer from time to time. It 
proceeded from the race to the family, and from the family to 
the individual. From the race of Abraham it was carried for- 
ward to David alone; from David to Nathan; from Nathan 
down to one virgin, Mary, who was the dead branch or root of 



NOVEMBER NINETEENTH 4O7 

Jesse, and in whom this covenant finds its termination and ful- 
filment. The establishment of such a covenant was most neces- 
sary in view of the imminence of the incredible and incalculable 
wrath of God. 

It was no easy matter to believe that the whole human race 
was to perish. The world consequently judged Noah to be a 
dolt for believing such things and ridiculed him. In order to 
strengthen his mind amid such offenses God speaks with him 
often, and now even reminds him of his covenant. 



Nnwmber Nmrtwntlj 



Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Eph. 5:16. 

The time is unquestionably good as long as the gospel is faith- 
fully preached and received. At the same time, even to-day the 
world is filled with evils, factions, false theories and bad exam- 
ples of every sort; much of this wickedness is inherent in our- 
selves. With these things the Christian must always contend ; 
the devil pursues, and our own flesh discourages and allures us 
from recognition and observance of the divine will. If we strive 
not against it, we shall soon lose sight of God's will, to our own 
injury, even while listening to the gospel. For the devil's 
strongest fury is exerted to befoul the world with fanaticism, 
and to draw from the pure doctrine of faith into that evil even 
those who possess the gospel. Being flesh and blood we are 
always self-secure, unwilling to be led by the Spirit, indolent 
and unresponsive in relation to the Word of God and to prayer. 
In the outward walks of life, obstacles and evils meet us every- 
where, impeding our spiritual progress and impelling us to sup- 
press the gospel and to rend the Church. 

Let no one, then, expect to enjoy an era of peace and pleasure 
here on earth. Although the present time is in itself good, and 
God bestows upon us the golden year of his Word and his grace, 



408 NOVEMBER TWENTIETH 

yet the devil is here with his factions and followers, and our 
own flesh supports him. He corrupts the blessed days of grace 
at every possible opportunity, and so oppresses Christians that 
they must contend against him with their utmost strength and 
vigilance if they would not, through the influence of evils and 
obstacles, be wrested from the gospel they have received and 
would persevere therein to the end. 

Wherefore we have the best reasons to adapt ourselves to the 
present time in the best possible way; to walk wisely and cir- 
cumspectly, showing all faithfulness to the will of God ; obeying 
it while we have opportunity — while still in possession of God's 
Word, his grace and his Spirit. Being opposed and obstructed 
by the devil and our own flesh, we must be wise and careful 
and guard against following them. So, then, we are to under- 
stand by "evil days" the allurements that lead us away from 
God's Word and his will. 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin 
against thee. Ps. 119: 11. 

A man may be familiar with God's Word, yet if he walks in 
self-security, concerned about other matters, or perhaps, being 
tempted, he loses sight of God's Word, it may easily happen that 
he is seduced and deceived by the secret craft and cunning of 
the devil; or of himself become bewildered, losing his wisdom 
and being unable to find counsel or help even in the most trivial 
temptations. For the devil and reason, or human wisdom, can 
dispute and syllogize with extraordinary subtlety in these things 
until one imagines that to be true wisdom which is not. A wise 
man soon becomes a fool ; men readily err and make false steps ; 
a Christian likewise is prone to stumble ; and even a teacher and 
prophet can easily be deceived by reason's brilliant logic. So 



NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST 409 

there is need of understanding, of careful, keen discernment, 
that wisdom be not perverted and falsified, and man be deceived 
with its counterfeit. 

Man is prone to stumble and to fail in understanding when 
not* watchful of his purposes and motives, to see how they accord 
with the wisdom of God's Word. Particularly is his under- 
standing unreliable when the devil moves him to wrath, im- 
patience, dejection, melancholy, or when he is otherwise tempted. 
Often they who have been well exercised with trials become 
bewildered in small temptations and uncertain what course to 
take. In this one needs to be watchful and not go by his reason 
or his feelings, but remember God's Word, or ascertain if he 
does not know what it is, and be guided thereby. Man cannot 
judge aright by the dictates of reason when he is tempted. 
Therefore he ought not to follow his own natural intelligence, 
nor to act from hasty conclusions. Let him be suspicious of all 
his reasoning and beware of the cunning of the devil, who seeks 
either to allure or to intimidate us by his specious arguments. 
Let him call upon the understanding born of his wisdom in the 
gospel, what his faith, love, hope and patience counsel, what 
God's will eloquently teaches every one and under all circum- 
stances, and let him strive and pray to be filled with such 
knowledge. 

£fau?tnb*r Sfowntg-ftrat 

That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in 
his name among all nations. Luke 24: 47. 

The gospel is the preaching of repentance and remission of 
sins. It should not be preached in a corner, but before all men, 
whether it be received or not, for it is to spread even farther 
that it may be heard and bear fruit. We are not to be offended 
though few receive it, nor say it has been given in vain. We 



4IO NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIRST 

should be content that Christ has commanded us to preach it in 
all the world, that he who will may receive it. 

By repentance Christ means a change for the better ; not what 
w r e have called repentance, when one scourges and chastises him- 
self and does penance to atone for his sin, or when the priest 
imposes this or that upon any one for penance. Scripture does 
not speak of it in this sense. Repentance signifies a change and 
reformation of the whole life ; so that when one knows that he 
is a sinner and feels the iniquity of life, he desists from it and 
enters upon a better course of life in word and deed, and does 
it from the heart. 

But we should preach also forgiveness of sins. This signifies 
that the gospel should be preached, which declares unto all the 
world that in Christ the sins of all the world are swallowed up, 
that he suffered death to put away sin from us, and arose to 
blot it out. All this he did, that whoever believeth should have 
the comfort and assurance that it is reckoned unto him even 
as if he himself had. done it. This continues as long as we live 
until the day of judgment. Forgiveness is so great and powerful 
that God not only forgives your past sins, but forgives also the 
sins you will yet commit. He will not condemn us for our daily 
infirmities, but forgives all, in view of our faith in him, if we 
only strive to press onward and get rid of sin. Repentance in his 
name is done when in those who believe in Christ God through 
that faith works a change for the better, not for a moment, nor 
for an hour, but for their whole life. A Christian is not per- 
fectly nor instantaneously cleansed, but the reformation and 
change continues as long as he lives. Nothing will be accom- 
plished except in Christ's name. That alone has power to save. 



NOVEMBER TWENTY-SECOND 411 

Jfatimbtfr Stowntg-Brrnnb 

// any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for ous sins: 
and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 
1 John 2: 1,2. 

Since we are unable to keep the law, Christ came and stepped 
between the Father and us, and pra) r s for us: Beloved Father, 
be gracious unto them and forgive them their sins. I will take 
upon me their transgressions and bear them; I love thee with 
my whole heart, and in addition the entire human race, and this 
I will prove by shedding my blood for mankind. I have fulfilled 
the law and I did it for their welfare in order that they may 
partake of my fulfilling the law and thereby come to grace. 

Thus there is first given us through Christ the sense that we 
do not fulfil the law and that sin is fully and completely for- 
given; however, this is not bestowed in a way or to the end 
that we need not keep the law in the future, and may forever 
continue to sin, or that we should teach, if we have faith we 
need no longer to love God and our neighbor. But the meaning 
is that the fulfilling of the law may now for the first time be 
successfully attempted and perfectly realized, and this is the 
eternal, fixed and unchangeable will of God. To this end it 
is necessary to preach grace that man may find counsel and help 
to come to a perfect life. 

But the help offered us is that Christ prays the Father to 
forgive us our sins against the law, and not impute what we 
are still owing. He promises also to give the Holy Spirit, by 
whose aid the heart begins to love God and to keep his com- 
mandments. God is not gracious and merciful to sinners to 
the end that they might not keep his law, nor that they should 
remain as they were before they received grace and mercy ; but 



412 NOVEMBER TWENTY-THIRD 

he condones and forgives both sin and death for Christ's sake. 
who has fulfilled the whole law to make the heart glad and 
through the Holy Spirit to kindle and move the heart to begin 
again to love from day to day more and more. Thus begins in 
us not only love, but also truth, a true character, as the law 
requires. Christ is full of grace and truth, and through him 
grace and truth grow in us. 

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy 
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 
and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall sep- 
arate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep 
from the goats. Matt. 25: 31, 32. 

Had it not been told us we should be inqusitive beyond meas- 
ure to know what would happen on the last day, and what Jesus 
would say and do on that day. Here we are now told of and 
have set before us, first of all, death, which no one can escape; 
but after that the day of judgment. Then it will come to pass 
that Christ will bring together by means of the resurrection all 
who have ever lived upon earth; and at the same time he will 
descend in inexpressible majesty, sitting upon the throne of judg- 
ment, with all the heavenly host hovering around him; and all 
the good and bad will appear, so that we shall all stand exposed 
before him and no one will be able to conceal himself. 

The appearance of this glory and majesty will immediately 
become a great terror and pain to the condemned, lest they shall 
suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the 
Lord and from the glory of his might. Even if there were no 
more than a single angel present, there would not remain in 
his presence one fickle, wicked conscience, were it possible to 
escape, any more than a thief and a rascal can bear to come 



NOVEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH 413 

before a human judge. If he could escape he would much pre- 
fer it, if only for the purpose of escaping public disgrace, to say 
nothing of his being compelled to hear the judgment passed 
upon him. 

What a terrible sight it will be, when the ungodly shall see 
not only all of God's angels and creatures, but also the Judge 
in his divine majesty, and shall hear the verdict of eternal de- 
struction and hell-fire pronounced upon them forever. This 
should surely be a powerful admonition for us to live as Chris- 
tians, so that we may stand in honor and without fear at the 
right hand of this majestic Lord, where there will be no fear, 
nor terror, but pure comfort and everlasting joy. Whoever is 
not moved and aroused by these words can certainly never be 
moved by anything. 



Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, 
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you 
from the foundation of the world. Matt. 25 : 34. 

This will take place publicly in the presence of all angels, 
men and creatures, and before the whole rabble of an ungodly 
world, that it may be seen who have been pious, honest Chris- 
tians, as well as who have been hypocrites. Such a separation 
cannot take place in the world until that day, not even in the 
assembly which constitutes the Christian Church. The good 
and the bad must remain together in this world, as we learn 
from the parable of the wedding guests, or as Christ himself had 
to tolerate Judas among his apostles. Christians are much 
grieved that they must remain in the midst of a crooked, per- 
verse, ungodly people, which is the kingdom of Satan. 

While Christians have their sufferings here upon earth, they 
will also have their comfort on the coming day of judgment, 



414 NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH 



when Christ will separate them from the other flock, so that 
after that day no false, ungodly men, nor death, nor devil can 
ever touch them or offend them. Christ will pronounce the 
verdict in the very words in which he has already prepared it 
and set it forth and will certainly not change it. Therefore 
see to it that you are among those who are kind and merciful 
here upon earth for Christ's sake, or who even suffer for his 
sake, then you may joyfully await the last day, and need not 
be afraid of the judgment ; for he has already selected you and 
placed you among those who shall stand at his right hand. 

We who are Christians should hope for the coming of this 
judgment and desire it with our whole heart, as we pray in the 
words: Thy kingdom come; thy will be done; deliver us from 
evil ; so that we may also hear the glad and welcome words : 
Come, ye blessed, into the kingdom of my Father. This is the 
verdict we await; for this we are Christians. For we must 
constantly see and hear the maliciousness which Satan and the 
world practice against the gospel. There is so much misery upon 
earth that we ought to be tired of this life and cry aloud : Come, 
dear Lord, and deliver us. For there are certainly souls who are 
joyfully awaiting the judgment of Christ with a good conscience. 

Nnttember tttoetttg-ftftlj 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a 
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; 
ivhom resist stedfast in the faith. I Pet. 5 : 8, g. 

The devil does not sleep ; he looks around and exerts himself 
to exterminate the pure doctrine in the Church and will finally, 
it is feared, bring it to this, that should one pass through all 
Germany he would find no pulpit where the pure Word of God 
is preached as in former days. He tries with all his might to 
prevent the pure doctrine from being taught, for he cannot 



NOVEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH 415 

endure it. To escape from the enemy is most difficult. He 
lurks and watches everywhere, and pushes his affairs so hard 
that even the learned fall and the elect stumble, as did Moses, 
Peter and the other apostles. We think we are safe and permit 
matters to drift. We should pray and call on God to maintain 
the gospel and cause his holy name to be proclaimed more and 
more widely; but no one cares, no one prays for the advance- 
ment of the gospel. The consequence must be that God will 
overthrow both us and Satan. The end w T ill be that our rash- 
ness and indifference shall bring us into great misery. 

The heart must thoroughly grasp this idea, that although we 
may feel secure concerning a matter and have Scripture for it, 
and be prepared and fortified in the best possible manner with 
clear proofs, it is after all the will and power of God that protect 
us and defend us against the devil, our adversary and most bitter 
foe. But this occurs only when God awakens us and keeps us 
in his fear, so that we may always be concerned and cry: "Lord, 
increase our faith." Our hearts should always be in a condition 
as if we had only begun to believe to-day, and always be so dis- 
posed toward the gospel as if we had never before heard it. 
We should make a fresh beginning each day. Our faith must 
constantly grow and become stronger. Man is a poor, weak 
creature. Paul says, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." 
This treasure is the gospel. An earthen vessel is easily broken 
and its contents spilled. When the devil notices what a treasure 
faith is and in what a poor vessel it is kept he rages and storms 
in his wrath to shatter the vessel and spill the treasure. Man 
is a poor, weak earthen vessel; if God would permit, Satan 
would soon utterly destroy the whole vessel. 



41 6 NOVEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH 

Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what 
is that to thee? follow thou me. John 21 : 22. 

Christ teaches us a beautiful and touching lesson. Notwith- 
standing the examples and lives of all the saints every person 
should attend to the work entrusted to him and guard the honor 
of his calling. This is truly a needed and wholesome teaching. 
Many persons are found like Peter, looking around to the saints 
Christ loved, and turning their backs to the commission and 
calling to follow Christ. As no one now is without some com- 
mission and calling, so no one is without some kind of work, if 
he desires to do what is right. Every one therefore is to take 
heed to continue in his calling, look to himself, faithfully do 
what is commanded him, and serve God and keep his command- 
ments; then he will have so much to do that all time will be 
too short, all places too cramped, all resources of help too weak. 

Moreover it is a common plague that no one is satisfied with 
his own lot, so that the heathen say: How does it happen that 
there is always better fruit in another field, and that the neigh- 
bor's cow gives more milk than our own? How does it come 
that no one is content with his own state and thinks that of 
another is better than his own ? If God allowed one to change 
his lot with all his will, even then he would be like every one 
else, would become more tired and at last stay with his own. 
Hence one ought not to think of changing his lot, but of chang- 
ing his spirit of discontent. Cast aside and change that restless 
spirit, then the lot of one will be like that of another and all 
will be prized alike. 

To overcome such unrest, discontent and disgust in one's self, 
faith is helpful and necessary — a faith which is of the firm 
conviction that God governs all alike, places each one in the lot 



NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH 4 1 7 

that is the most suitable for him. This faith brings rest, con- 
tentment and peace; it banishes the tired spirit. Hence we see 
how faith is needed in everything and how it makes everything 
easy, good and sweet, even if you were in prison or in death, 
as the martyrs prove. Without faith all things are difficult 
and bitter, though you possessed the pleasures of the whole 
world, as all the great lords and wealthy prove, who at all 
times lead the most wretched lives. 



Nnwmfor atoeniij-Brtientlj 

For this cause ice. . .do not cease to pray for you, and to 
desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in 
all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Col. I : 9. 

The apostle's words are "be filled," that is, not only hear and 
understand God's will, but become rich in the knowledge of it, 
with ever increasing fullness. You have begun well; you are 
promising shoots. But something more than a good beginning 
is required, and the knowledge of God's will cannot be ex- 
haustively learned at once on hearing the Word. "Knowing 
the will of God" means more than simply knowing about God, 
that he created heaven and earth and gave the law, a knowledge 
which even the Jews and Turks possess. When this point has 
been reached further enlightenment is necessary if man is to be 
saved. He must know the meaning of Christ's words: "This is 
the will of my Father, that every one which seeth the Son, and 
believeth on him, may have everlasting life." 

This spiritual knowledge, or confidence, is not so easily 
learned as other things. It is not so readily apprehended as the 
knowledge of the law written in nature. Indeed, that more 
than anything else hinders the Christians and saints from ob- 
taining the knowledge of God's will in Christ, for it compels 

Devotional Readings 27 



41 8 NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH 



the heart and conscience to plead guilty in every respect and to 
confess having merited the wrath of God; therefore the soul 
naturally fears and flees from God. Then, too, the devil fans 
the flame of fear and sends his fiery arrows of dismay into the 
heart. The wicked world eagerly contributes its share of hin- 
drance against Christians as a people of the worst type, con- 
demned enemies of God. Our flesh and blood is a drawback, 
making much of its own wisdom and holiness and seeking there- 
by to gain honor and glory or to live in security of life and 
wealth, pleasure and covetousness. Hence on every side a Chris- 
tian must be in severe conflict, if he is to succeed in preserving 
the knowledge of God's will. Verily, there is need of earnest 
and diligent use of the Word of God and prayer, that Chris- 
tians may not only learn to know the will of God, but also to 
be filled with it. Only so can the individual walk always ac- 
cording to God's will, and gain strength to enable him to face 
fears and terrors against the devil, the world, flesh and blood. 



There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the 
stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; 
the sea and the waves roaring; mens hearts failing them for fear. 
Luke 21 : 25, 26. 

The signs preceding the judgment day are many and great. 
They will all be fulfilled, even though none or very few men 
take note of or esteem them as such. Two things must take 
place according to the Word and prophecy of Christ and the 
apostles: first, many and great signs will be made manifest; 
second, the last day will come unawares; the world will not 
expect it, even though that day be at the door. Though men see 
those signs and be told that they are signs of the last day, stril 



NOVEMBER TWENTY-NINTH 419 

they will not believe. Some, indeed, will see it and it will be 
those who least expect it. That there will be such security 
and indifference among men we prove from the words of Christ 
and the apostles. Christ says: "Take heed to yourselves, lest 
haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunken- 
ness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly 
as a snare, for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the 
face of the earth." 

From these words it is clear that men in great measure will 
give themselves over to surfeiting and drunkenness and the 
cares of this life, and that, drowned as it were in these things, 
they will rest secure and continue to dwell on the earth as if 
the dreadful day were far away. For were there no such se- 
curity and heedlessness, that day would not break in unawares. 
But he says it will come as a snare by which birds and beasts 
are caught at a time when most concerned about their food 
and least expecting to be entrapped. In this figure he gives us 
clearly to understand that the world will continue its carousing, 
eating and drinking, building and planting, and diligently seek- 
ing after earthly things, and will look upon the day of judgment 
as yet a thousand and more years off, when, in the twinkling of 
an eye, they may stand before the terrible judgment bar of God. 
Whatever other signs may appear before Christ's coming, I 
know that, according to Christ's words, surfeiting and drunken- 
ness, building and planting, buying and selling, marrying and 
giving in marriage and other cares of this life will be in evidence. 

Nnwmfor Qtoettig-nttttlf 

It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation 
to them that trouble you. 2 Thess. I : 6. 

Whatever the Christian suffers here on earth at the hands of 
the devil and the world befalls him simply for the sake of the 



420 NOVEMBER THIRTIETH 

name of God and for his Word. True, as a baptized child of 
God the Christian should justly enjoy unalloyed goodness, 
comfort and peace on earth ; but since he must still dwell in the 
kingdom of the devil, who infuses sin and death into human 
flesh, he must endure the devil. Yet all Satan's afflictions and 
the world's plagues, persecutions, terrors, tortures, even the 
taking of the Christian's life, and all its abuse, is wrought in 
violence and injustice. But to offset this, the Christian has the 
comforting assurance of God's Word that because he suffers 
for the sake of the kingdom of Christ and of God he shall surely 
be eternally partaker of that kingdom. Certain it is, no one will 
be worthy of it unless he suffers for it. 

Christians should certainly expect this and comfort themselves 
in the confidence that God will not permit the wrongs of his 
people to continue unpunished and unavenged. We might think 
he had forgotten, were we to judge from the facts that godly 
Abel was shamefully murdered by his brother, that God's 
prophets and martyrs — John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Paul and 
others — suffered death at the hands of bloodhounds like the 
Herods, Neros and other shameless, sanguinary tyrants of that 
sort, and this when God had, even in this life, given glorious 
testimony of their being his beloved children. A judgment must 
be forthcoming that tyrants may suffer pains and punishments, 
and that the godly, delivered from sufferings, may have eternal 
rest and joy. Let all the world know that God does not forget 
even after death. 

This is the consolation which the future judgment at the 
resurrection of the dead holds, that, as God's righteousness re- 
quires, the saints shall receive for their sufferings a supremely 
rich and glorious recompense. Paul seems to present, as the 
principal reason why God must punish the world with ever- 
lasting pain, the fact that the world has inflicted tribulation on 
Christians. This is indicated where we read that Christ shall 



NOVEMBER THIRTIETH 421 

say on the last day: "Depart from me, ye cursed. . . inasmuch 
as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me." 



Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like 
unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is 
able even to subdue all things unto himself. Phil. 3:21. 

We Christians are expectantly to await the coming of the 
Saviour. His coming will not be to our injury or shame as it 
may be in the case of others. He comes for the salvation of our 
unprofitable, impotent bodies. Wretchedly worthless as they 
are in this life, they are much more unprofitable when lifeless 
and perishing in the earth. But, however miserable, powerless 
and contemptible in life and death, Christ will at his coming 
render our bodies beautiful, pure, shining and worthy of honor, 
until they correspond to his own immortal, glorious body. Not 
like it as it hung on the cross or lay in the grave, blood-stained, 
livid and disgraced, but as it is now, glorified at the Father's 
right hand. We need not then be alarmed at the necessity of 
laying aside our earthly bodies ; at being despoiled of the honor, 
righteousness and life adhering in them, to deliver it to the 
devouring power of death and the grave — something well 
calculated to terrify the enemies of Christ; but we may joyfully 
hope for and await his speedy coming to deliver us from this 
miserable, filthy pollution. 

Think of the honor and glory Christ's righteousness brings 
even to our bodies! How can this poor, sinful, miserable, pol- 
luted body become like unto that of the Son of God, the Lord 
of glory? What are you — your powers and abilities, or those 
of all men, to effect this glorious thing? But Paul says human 
righteousness, merit, glory and power have nothing to do with 



422 DECEMBER FIRST 



it. Another force intervenes, the power of Christ the Lord, 
who is able to bring all things into subjection to himself. Now, 
if he has power to subject all things unto himself at will, he is 
able also to glorify the pollution and filth of this wretched body, 
even when it has become worms and dust. In his hands it is 
as clay in the hands of the potter, and from the polluted lump 
of clay he can make a vessel that shall be a beautiful, new, pure, 
glorious body, surpassing the sun in its brilliancy and beauty. 
The righteousness of Christ inspires with power, making evident 
that we worship the true and living God, who delivers from sin, 
death and condemnation, and exalts this perishable body to 
eternal honor and glory. 



Btctmbn 3fftrat 

Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even 
so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matt. 7 : 12. 

Faith brings and gives Christ to you with all his possessions. 
Love gives you to your neighbor with all your possessions. These 
two things constitute a true and complete Christian life; then 
follow suffering and persecution for such faith and life, and 
out of these grows hope in patience. Where, then, are the good 
works which you are to do to your neighbor? They have no 
name. As the good works which Christ does to you have no 
name, so your good works are to have no name. They have 
no name so that there may be no distinction made and they be 
not divided, else you might do some and leave others undone. 
You shall give yourself entirely to him with all you have, the 
same as Christ gave himself wholly to you, with praying, fasting, 
all works and suffering, so that there is nothing in him that is 
not yours and was not done for you. Thus it is not your good 
work that you give alms and pray, but that you offer yourself 



DECEMBER SECOND 423 



to your neighbor and serve him, whenever he needs you and in 
every way you can, be it with alms, prayer, work, counsel, com- 
fort, apologizing, clothing, food, and if need be, with suffering 
and death. 

If you have ears to hear, listen and learn what good works 
are. A work is good for the reason that it is useful and benefits 
or helps the one for whom it is done; why else should it be 
called good ? A tree bears fruit, not for itself, but for the good 
of man and beast, and these fruits are its good works. You 
are not to do good to God and to his dead saints, they are not 
in need of it; still less to wood and stone, to which it is of 
no use, but to men. To men you should do everything that you 
would they should do to you. A man is to live, suffer and die 
for his wife and child, the wife for the husband, children for 
parents, servants for masters, masters for servants, the govern- 
ment for subjects and subjects for governments, each one for 
his fellow man, even for his enemies. Such are truly Christian 
and good works, and should be done at all times, in all places, 
and toward all people. 



Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; ...behold, thy King 
cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation. Zech. 9: 9. 

Learn from these words what takes place when God begins 
to make us godly, and what is the first step in becoming so. 
There is no other beginning until your King comes to you and 
begins to work in you. It is done in this way : the gospel comes 
first and must be preached and heard. In it you hear and learn 
how all your works count for nothing before God and that 
everything that you work and do is sinful. Your King must 
first be in you and rule you. Here is the beginning of your 



424 DECEMBER THIRD 



salvation; you relinquish your works and despair of yourself, 
because you see and hear that all you do is sin and amounts to 
nothing, as the gospel tells you. You receive your King in 
faith, cling to him, implore his grace and find consolation in his 
mercy alone. 

But when you hear and accept this it is not your power, but 
God's grace, that renders the gospel fruitful in you, so that you 
believe that you and your works are nothing. For you see how 
few there are who accept it, so that Christ weeps over Jerusa- 
lem. 'Nor is it by virtue of your power and your merit that the 
gospel is preached and your King comes. God must send him 
out of pure grace. Hence, no greater wrath of God exists than 
where he does not send the gospel; there is only sin, error and 
darkness, there man may do what he will. Again, there is no 
greater grace than where he sends his gospel, for there must be 
grace and mercy in its train, even if not all, perhaps only a few, 
receive it. 

This is what is meant by "Thy King cometh unto thee." You 
do not seek nor find him ; he seeks and finds you. The preachers 
and their sermons come from him, not from you ; your faith and 
everything that your faith works in you comes from him, not 
from you; when he does not come, you remain outside; where 
there is no gospel, there is no God, but only sin and damnation. 
Therefore you should not ask where to begin to be godly ; there 
is no beginning, except where the King is proclaimed and enters. 



Smmfor ®ljtr& 



Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon 
an ass , and a colt the foal of an ass. Matt. 21:5. 

"Behold." With this word the evangelist at once rouses us 
from sleep and unbelief as though he had something great or 
remarkable to offer, something we have long wished for and now 



DECEMBER THIRD 425 



receive with joy. Such waking up is necessary, because every- 
thing that concerns faith is against reason ; for example, how 
can reason comprehend that an individual should be king of 
Jerusalem who enters in such poverty and humility as to ride 
upon a borrowed ass? But the nature of faith is that it does not 
judge nor reason by what it sees, but by what it hears. It de- 
pends upon the Word alone and not on vision or sight. Christ 
is received as King only by the followers of the word of the 
prophet, by the believers in Christ. These are the true daugh- 
ters of Zion. 

This King is distinguished from all other kings. It is "thy" 
King who was promised to you, whose own you are. For him 
you have yearned from the beginning, him the fathers have 
desired to see, he will deliver you from all that has hitherto 
burdened, troubled and held you captive. This is a comforting 
word to a believing heart, for without Christ man is subject 
to many raging tyrants who are not kings, but murderers, at 
whose hands he suffers great misery and fear. 

But where the heart receives the King in firm faith, it is 
secure and does not fear sin, death, hell, nor any other evil; 
for it well knows and in no wise doubts that this King is the 
Lord of life and death, of sin and grace, of hell and heaven, 
and that all things are in his hands. Thus he became our King 
and came down to us that he might deliver us from these tyrants 
and rule over us himself alone. He who is under this King 
cannot be harmed either by sin, death, hell, Satan, man nor any 
other creature. Such boundless gifts are brought by this poor, 
despised King. All this reason does not understand, nor nature 
comprehend ; it can be comprehended by faith alone. 



426 DECEMBER FOURTH 



immter 3Fo«rtIf 



Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting 
on an ass's colt. John 12: 15. 

We will direct our attention to the reason why the evangelist 
quotes the words of the prophet, in which was described long 
ago and in clear, beautiful and wonderful words, the bodily 
public entrance and advent of our Lord Jesus Christ to the 
people of Zion or Jerusalem. The prophet wanted to show to 
his people and to all the world, who the Messiah is and in what 
manner he would come and manifest himself. He thereby an- 
ticipates the mistaken idea of the Jews, who thought that, be- 
cause there were such glorious things said and written of Christ 
and his kingdom, he would manifest himself in great worldly 
pomp and glory, as a king against their enemies, especially the 
Roman empire, to the power of which they were subject, and 
that he would overthrow its power and might, and in its place 
set up the Jews as lords and princes. Thus they expected noth- 
ing in the promised Christ but a worldly kingdom and deliver- 
ance from bodily captivity. They were led to this notion, and 
strengthened in it, by their false priests, preachers and doctors, 
who perverted the Scriptures concerning Christ and interpreted 
them according to their own worldly understanding as referring 
to bodily, worldly things, because they would fain be great 
earthly lords. 

But the dear prophets plainly foretold that we should not 
think of such an earthly kingdom, nor of bodily salvation, but 
give attention to the promise of. a spiritual kingdom and of a 
redemption from the pernicious fall of mankind in paradise. 
This is a different salvation from that of bodily freedom, power 
and glory, the end of which is death. 

The evangelist therefore quotes this saying of the prophet 



DECEMBER FIFTH 427 



to punish the blindness and false notions of those who seek 
bodily and temporal blessings in Christ and his gospel, and to 
convince them by the testimony of the prophet, who shows clearly 
what kind of a king Christ was and what they should seek in 
him, in that he calls him just and having salvation and adds 
this sign of his coming by which they are to know him: "He 
cometh to thee, meek, and riding upon a colt, the foal of an ass." 
This verse takes away all support for excuse, if they do not 
receive Christ, and it cuts off all hope and expectation for an- 
other. It distinctly announces that he would come on this wise 
and he has fulfilled everything. 

S matter SHftlj 

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his 
Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them 
that were under the law. Gal. 4: 4, 5. 

In the article of faith, in which we say that the Son of God 
became man and that he was of the same nature as we ourselves 
are, in order that he might redeem us from sin and death and 
give us eternal life without any merit or worthiness of our own, 
we give Jews and Turks no less occasion for laughter and 
mockery than when we speak of the three persons in the God- 
head. For this is a more absurd assertion by far, in the estima- 
tion of human reason, which speculates in its Jewish and Turk- 
ish, yea, heathenish teachings, on this wise: God is an only, 
almighty Lord of all, who has created all men and given them 
the law according to which they are to live; accordingly it fol- 
lows that he will be merciful to the good and obedient, but will 
condemn and punish the disobedient. Therefore he who does 
good works and guards himself against sin, God will reward. 
These are nothing but heathenish conclusions drawn from earth- 
ly, worldly experience and observation. 






428 DECEMBER SIXTH 



Such heathen ideas of wisdom, holiness and service of God 
are taught and practiced by the pope. So we believed, myself 
and others, while we were under him, not knowing any better ; 
otherwise we would have done and taught differently. In fact, 
he who has not this revelation and Word of God, can neither 
believe nor teach other than pagan doctrine. For human reason 
knows no better ; and how can it know better without the revela- 
tion? Even when the revelation was proclaimed, human wis- 
dom would not heed it, but despised it and followed its own 
fancies. 

But to us this counsel and mind of God, in giving his Son to 
take upon himself our flesh, is revealed and declared. From 
the Word of God we have the knowledge that no man of him- 
self can be righteous before God; that our whole life and all 
our deeds are under wrath and condemnation, because we are 
wholly born in sin and by nature are disobedient to God; but 
if we would be delivered from sin and be saved, we must 
believe on this mediator, the Son of God, who has taken our sin 
and death upon himself, by his own blood and death rendering 
satisfaction, and has by his resurrection delivered us. 

There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the 
stars; and upon the earth distress of nations. Luke 21 : 25. 

"The sun shall be darkened" (Matt. 24: 29). Some think 
that the sun is to be darkened never to shine again; but this 
cannot be the meaning, for day and night must continue to the 
end. "While the earth remaineth day and night shall not 
cease." This sign therefore dare not interfere with day and 
night and still be fulfilled before the judgment day. "The moon 
shall not give her light." The same is to be said of this as of 
the signs of the sun. Is it not true that scarcely a year has 



DECEMBER SEVENTH 429 



passed in which sun and moon have not been eclipsed? As- 
tronomers have told us, and rightly so, that these eclipses are 
but natural phenomena. As a result the tokens are the more 
despised and carnal security is increased. "The stars shall fall 
from heaven." This is seen almost daily. Aristotle again talks 
about the nature of the thing ; but the gospel, which is the Word 
and wisdom of God, pronounces the falling of the stars a sign. 
Wherefore if the stars fall or the sun and moon fail to give 
their light, be assured that these are signs of the last day; for 
the gospel cannot utter falsehood. While in these years there 
have been so many showers of stars, they are all harbingers of 
the last day, as Christ says; they must appear often that the 
great day may be abundantly proclaimed. These signs appear 
and pass, but no one heeds them; they are waiting for other 
signs, just as the Jews are waiting for another Christ. 

"Distress of nations" does not, indeed, mean that all nations 
and all people among these nations will so suffer ; for you must 
note that these are to be signs. Stars do not fall from heaven 
at all times; the sun does not lose its brightness for a whole 
year; all these may be tokens without changing the order of 
things. "Distress of nations" does not refer to the body. For 
there will be peace and joy in abundance. People will eat and 
drink, buy and sell, marry and be given in marriage and wrap 
themselves up in this present life as if they expected to abide 
here forever. I take it that it is the condition of agonized con- 
science. Sin and conscience oppress. By these the sinner be- 
comes so distressed that he knows not what to do, nor whither 
to flee. 

The powers of heaven shall be shaken. Luke 21 : 26. 
By the powers of heaven some understand the angels of heav- 
en. But since Christ speaks of signs and says we shall see them 



43° DECEMBER SEVENTH 



and recognize in them the coming of the last day, they must 
surely be visible tokens and be perceived with the bodily senses. 
For those people whose consciences are in distress and whose 
hearts are failing from fear, though this be an affection of the 
soul, yet manifest it by word and countenance. Therefore these 
powers of heaven must be such as can be really shaken and so 
perceived. 

The Scriptures speak in a twofold way concerning the powers 
of heaven. At one time they are spoken of as the heavens which 
are the most powerful among all creatures, "and God called 
the firmament — expanse or fortress — heaven." Every crea- 
ture under heaven is ruled and strengthened by the light, heat 
and movements of the heavens. What would the earth be 
without the heavens but a dark and desert waste? At another 
time the powers of heaven signify the hosts of heaven: "and the 
heavens and the earth were finished and all the hosts of them." 
It is common in the Scriptures to speak in this way of the 
powers of heaven. And it is clear from this and other passages 
that the hosts or powers of heaven include all that is in them ; 
in the heavens, the sun, moon, stars and other heavenly bodies ; 
on earth, man and beast, birds and fish, trees, herbs and whatso- 
ever lives upon it. The passage before us may therefore mean 
the powers of heaven in both senses, probably chiefly the hosts 
of heaven. Christ could say that all creatures shall be shaken 
and shall serve as tokens of that day ; sun and moon with dark- 
ening, the stars with falling, the nations with wars, men with 
hearts failing from fear, the earth with earthquakes, the waters 
with winds and roaring, the air with infection and pestilence, 
and the heavens with their hosts. 

Christ calls these signs and desires us to take special notice of 
them, appearing, as they do, not alone, but with a multitude of 
other tokens. Let the unbeliever doubt and despise God's 
tokens and speak of them as simply natural; but let us hold 
fast to the gospel. 



DECEMBER EIGHTH 43 I 



Immb?r iEtgtjtlj 

When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and 
lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 
21: 28. 

How shall we look up and lift up our heads, which evidently 
means, how shall we manifest any joy in and longing for these 
signs? In answer I would say that all this is spoken only to 
those who are really Christians and not to heathen and Jew. 
True Christians are so afflicted with all manner of temptations 
and persecutions that in this life they are miserable. Therefore 
they wait and long and pray for redemption from sin and evil ; 
as we also pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come," 
and, "Deliver us from evil." If we are true Christians we will 
earnestly and heartily join in this prayer. If we do not so pray, 
we are not yet true Christians. 

If we pray aright, our condition must truly be such as to 
look up to them with joy and earnest desire, however terrible 
these signs may be, as Christ admonishes: "When these things 
come to pass, look up." He does not say, Be filled with fear 
or drop your heads ; for there is coming that for which we have 
been earnestly praying. If we really wish to be freed from sin 
and death and hell, we must look forward to this coming of the 
Lord with joy and pleasure. 

But what do those do who are filled with fear and do not 
desire to have him come, when they pray, "Thy kingdom come," 
"Thy will be done" ? Do they not stand in the presence of God 
and lie to their own hurt? Do they not strive against the will 
of God who will have this day for the redemption of the saints. 
It is necessary that we exercise great care lest we be found to 
hate and to dread that dav. Such dread is a bad omen and 



43 2 DECEMBER NINTH 



belongs to the damned, whose cold minds and hard hearts must 
be terrified and broken, if perchance they might reform. 

To believers that day will be comforting and sweet. To 
them that day will be the highest joy and safety; just as in this 
life the truths of the gospel are exceedingly sweet to the godly 
and exceedingly hateful to the wicked. Why should the be- 
liever fear and not rather exceedingly rejoice, since he trusts 
in Christ who comes as judge to redeem him and to be his ever- 
lasting portion? 



Btttmbtt Nitttlf 



We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adop- 
tion, to wit, the redemption of our body. Rom. 8: 23. 

You say, I would indeed await his coming with joy, if I were 
holy and without sin. I answer, What relief do you find in fear 
and flight? It would not redeem you from sin if you were to 
be filled with terror for a thousand years. The damned are 
eternally filled with fear of that day, but this does not take 
away their sin; this fear rather increases sin and renders man 
unfit to appear without sin on that day when it comes. 

There is no one so well prepared for the judgment day as 
he who longs to be without sin. If you have such desire, what 
do you fear? You are then in perfect accord with the purpose 
of that day. It comes to set free from sin all who desire it, and 
you belong to that number. Return thanks to God and abide 
in that desire. Christ says his coming is for our redemption. 
But do not deceive yourself and be satisfied, perhaps, with the 
simple desire to be free from sin and to await the coming of 
the day without fear. Perhaps your heart is false and you are 
filled with fear, not because you would be free from sin, but 
because in the face of that day you cannot sin free and untram- 



DECEMBER TENTH 433 



meled. See to it that the light within you be not darkness. For 
a heart that would be truly free from sin will certainly rejoice 
in the day that fulfils its desire. If the heart does not so rejoice 
there is no true desire to be loosed from its sin. 

From this we learn how few there are who pray the Lord's 
Prayer acceptably. There are few who would not rather that 
the day would never come. This is nothing else than to desire 
that the kingdom of God may not come. Yet, he who feels 
such fear must not despair, but rather use it wisely. He does 
so who permits such fear to urge him to pray for grace that his 
fear might be taken away and he be given joy and delight in 
that day. Therefore those who fear are nearer their salvation 
than the hard-hearted, who neither fear nor find comfort in 
that day. 

Smmtor afettilj 

Knowing the tune, that now it is high time to awake out of 
sleep. Rom. 13 : 11. 

For the sake of effect and emphasis the apostle in his admoni- 
tion employs a pleasing figure and makes an eloquent appeal. 
The word "sleep" is used as a simile to help us grasp the spir- 
itual thought. Since for the sake of temporal gain men rise 
from sleep, put aside the things of darkness and take up the 
day's work when night has given place to morning, how much 
greater the necessity for us to awake from our spiritual sleep, 
to cast off the things of darkness and enter upon the works of 
light, since our night has passed and our day breaks. "Sleep" 
here stands for the works of wickedness and unbelief. For sleep 
is properly incident to the night time. Then, too, the explana- 
tion is given in the added words: "Let us cast off the works of 
darkness." Similarly in the thought of awakening and rising 
are suggested the works of faith and piety. They that sleep, 

Devotional Readings 28 






434 DECEMBER ELEVENTH 

sleep in the night ; and they that be drunken are drunken in the 
night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the 
breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of 
salvation. 

Paul, of course, does not enjoin against physical sleep. His 
contrasting figures of sleep and wakefulness are used as illustra- 
tions of spiritual lethargy and activity — the godly and the 
ungodly life. Note the analog}* between natural and spiritual 
sleep. The sleeper sees nothing about him; he is not sensitive 
to any earthly realities. In the midst of them he lies as one 
dead and useless, without power or purpose. Though having 
life in himself he is practically dead to all outside. His mind 
is occupied, not with realities, but with dreams, in which he 
beholds mere images, vain forms of the real ; and he is foolish 
enough to think them true. But when he wakes, these illusions 
or dreams vanish. Then he begins to occupy himself with 
realities. 

So it is in the spiritual life. The ungodly person sleeps. 
He is in a sense dead in the sight of God. He does not recognize 
the real spiritual blessings extended him through the gospel; he 
regards them as valueless. For these blessings are only to be 
recognized by the believing heart; they are concealed from the 
natural man. 



Ummter iEleuentlj 



In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Gen. 
22: 18. 

The blessing here promised to the patriarch in his seed is 
simply the grace and salvation in Christ which the gospel pre- 
sents to the whole world. For Christ is the seed of Abraham, 
his own flesh and blood, and in Christ all believing inquirers 
will be blessed. This promise to the patriarch was later more 



DECEMBER ELEVENTH 435 

minutely set forth and more widely circulated by the prophets. 
All of them wrote of the advent of Christ, his grace and gospel. 
The divine promise was believed by the saints prior to the birth 
of Christ; thus, through the coming Messiah they were pre- 
served and saved by faith. 

But faith is not abolished in the fulfilment of the promise; 
rather it is established. As they in former time believed in the 
future fulfilment, we now believe in the completed fulfilment. 
Faith in the two instances is essentially the same ; but one belief 
succeeds the other as fulfilment succeeds promise. In both cases 
faith is based on the seed of Abraham, that is, on Christ. In 
one instance it precedes his advent and in the other it follows. 
He who would now, like the Jews, believe in Christ yet to come, 
as if the promise were still unfulfilled, would be condemned. 
For he would make God a liar in holding that the word is 
unredeemed, contrary to fact. Were the promise not fulfilled, 
our salvation would be still far off; we would have to wait its 
future accomplishment. 

Having in mind faith under these two conditions, we must 
now believe not only in the promise but in its past fulfilment. 
For though the faith of the fathers is one with our faith, they 
trusting in Christ to come and we in a Christ revealed, yet the 
gospel leads from the former faith to the latter. It is now 
necessary to believe the promise, and also its fulfilment. Abra- 
ham and the ancients were not called on to believe in the ac- 
complished fulfilment, though they had the same Christ as we 
have. There is one faith, one spirit, one Christ, one com- 
munity of saints; but they preceded, while we come after, Christ. 
Thus we — the fathers and ourselves — have had and still have 
a common faith in the one Christ, but under different condi- 
tions. Because of this common faith believers unite in Christ 
as one bodv. 



43^ DECEMBER TWELFTH 

immfor SfatHfilj 

When John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he 
sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that 
should come, or do we look for another? Matt. II : 2, 3. 

The disciples of John had learned from him many excellent 
testimonies concerning Christ, that he was the Lamb of God 
and the Son of God, that Christ must increase while he must de- 
crease. All this his disciples and the people did not believe, nor 
could they understand it, as they and all the people thought 
more of John than of Christ. Consequently they clung so close- 
ly to John, that for his sake they became jealous of Christ and 
were dissatisfied with him, when they saw that he also baptized 
and drew the people to himself. 

To this error they are led for two reasons. First, Christ was 
not yet known to the people, but only to John ; neither had he 
yet performed any miracle. The second reason was that Christ 
appeared so humble, being the son of a carpenter and of a poor 
woman. He did not belong to the priesthood, nor to the 
learned, nor had he ever studied, but was only a layman and a 
common apprentice. Hence it seemed that the excellent testi- 
mony of John concerning Jesus of Nazareth did not at all 
seem true. They were looking for one who might appear in 
an imposing manner among them, or like a highly learned leader 
among the priests or like a mighty king. From this delusion 
John could not dissuade them. 

But when Jesus began to perform miracles and became famous, 
John thought that he would direct his disciples from himself 
to Christ, that they might not establish a new sect and become 
Johnites, but might cling to Christ and become Christians. They 
must learn that the works and coming of Christ would not be 
attended bv drums and bugles and the like worldly pomp, but 



DECEMBER THIRTEENTH 437 

by spiritual power and grace ; that by virtue of such power and 
grace the dead would be raised up, the blind receive their sight, 
the deaf hear, and all kinds of bodily and spiritual evil be re- 
moved. This would be the coming and glory of this King, the 
least of whose works could not be performed by all the kings, 
all the learned and all the rich of the world. 



Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not 
pass away. Luke 21 : 33. 

Some men have wondered how heaven and earth shall pass 
away and call Aristotle to their aid. He must interpret the 
words of Christ for them, and he says, heaven and earth will 
not pass away as to their essence, but only as to their form. But 
let us suffer the blind to go, and know that just as our bodies 
will be changed as to their essence, so at the last day heaven 
and earth with all the elements will be melted with fervent heat 
and turned to dust, together with the bodies of men, so that 
there will be nothing but fire everywhere. Then will every- 
thing be newly created in greatest beauty; our bodies will shine 
in brilliancy, and the sun be much more glorious than now. 
Peter says, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the 
night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and 'the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the 
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens 
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 

But where do our souls dwell when the abode of every crea- 
ture is afire and there is no earthly dwelling place? Answer: 
My dear hearer, where is the soul now? Or where is it when 
we sleep and are not conscious of what is taking place in our 



438 DECEMBER FOURTEENTH 

bodies and in the world around us? Do you think that God 
cannot so preserve or hold the souls of men in his hand that 
they will never know how heaven and earth passed away? Or 
do you think that he must have a bodily home for the soul, just 
as a shepherd has a stable for his sheep? It is enough for you 
to know that they are in God's hands and not in the care of 
any creature. Though you do not understand how it happens, 
do not be led astray. Since you have not yet learned what 
happens to you when you fall asleep or awaken, and can never 
know how near you are to waking or sleeping, though you daily 
do both, how do you expect to understand all about this ques- 
tion? The Scripture says, "Father, into thy hands I command 
my spirit," and so let it be. 

Blessed is he, whosoever shall not he offended in me. Matt, 
ii : 6. 

There are two kinds of offenses, one of doctrine, and the 
other of life. The offense of doctrine comes when one believes, 
teaches or thinks of Christ in a different way than he should, 
as did the Jews, teaching that Christ was other than he really 
was, expecting him to be a temporal king. Christ and Paul 
always dwell upon this offense, scarcely mentioning any other. 
It is not without reason that men are admonished to remember 
this. Under the reign of the pope this offense has been hushed 
entirety, so that neither monk nor priest knows of any other 
offense than that caused by open sin and wicked living, which 
the Scriptures do not call an offense. They teach the people to 
believe that the mass is an offering and a good work, that by 
works men may become pious, may atone for sin and be saved, 
all of which is nothing less than rejecting Christ and destroy- 
ing faith. 



DECEMBER FIFTEENTH 439 

The offense of life is, when one sees and teaches an openly 
wicked work of another. It is impossible to avoid this offense, 
inasmuch as we must live among the wicked, but it is not so 
dangerous, since everybody knows that such offense is sinful, 
and no one is deceived by it. There is no disguise nor deception. 
But in the offense of doctrine there may be the most beautiful 
religious ceremonies, the noblest works, the most honorable life, 
so that it is impossible for common reason to censure or discern 
it. Only faith through the Spirit recognizes that it is all wrong. 
Against this offense Christ warns us, saying: "Whoso shall 
offend one of these little ones, which believe in me, it were 
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and 
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." 

Whosoever does not preach Christ, or who preaches him 
otherwise than the gospel teaches, namely, as one caring for the 
blind, the lame and the poor, teaches us how to become un- 
happy and stumble in Christ. It is truly a great blessing not 
to be offended in Christ, and there is no other help or remedy 
than to look at his works and compare them with the Scriptures. 
Otherwise it is impossible to keep from being offended at Christ. 



Smmbrr 3Ftft?£ititj 

Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:17. 

Faith receives the good works of Christ, love bestows good 
works on our neighbor. Our faith is strengthened and increased 
when Christ is held forth to us in his own natural works, 
namely, that he associates with the blind, the deaf,, the lame, 
the lepers, the dead and the poor; that is, in pure love and 
kindness toward all who are in need and in misery, so that 
finally Christ is nothing else than consolation and. a refuge for 
all the distressed and troubled in conscience. Here is necessary 



440 DECEMBER SIXTEENTH 

faith that trusts in the gospel and relies upon it, never doubting 
that Christ is just as he is presented to us in this gospel, and 
does not think of him otherwise, nor lets any one persuade us 
to believe otherwise. That gospel which suffers Christ to be seen 
and to be doing good only among the needy will not belie you. 
If you desire to believe rightly and to possess Christ truly, 
then you must reject all works that you intend to place before 
God. They are only stumbling blocks, leading you away from 
Christ and from God. Before God no works are acceptable 
but Christ's own works. Let these plead for you before God, 
and do no other work before him than to believe' that Christ 
is doing his works for you and is placing them before God in 
your behalf. God demands of us no other work that we should 
do for him than to exercise faith in Christ. With that he is 
satisfied, and with that we give honor to him, as to one who is 
merciful, longsuffering, wise, kind and truthful. After this 
think of nothing else than to do to your neighbor as Christ has 
done to you, and let all your works together with all your life 
be applied to your neighbor. Look for the poor, sick and all 
kinds of needy, help them and let your life's energy appear in 
this, so that they may enjoy your kindness, helping wherever 
your help is needed, as much as you possibly can with your life, 
property and honor. Know that to serve God is nothing else 
than to serve your neighbor in love, whether he be enemy or 
friend, or whether you can help in temporal or spiritual matters. 
This is serving God and doing good works. 

Smmter 9ixtmttl} 

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and sup- 
plication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known 
unto God. Phil. 4: 6. 

Here Paul teaches us to cast our care upon God. Should 
anything transpire to give you care or anxiety, turn to God 



DECEMBER SIXTEENTH 44 1 

with prayer, with supplication, entreating him to accomplish for 
you all you would seek to effect by care. Do so in thankfulness ; 
you have a God solicitous for you, to whom you may freely 
come with all your anxieties. Whoever does not so when mis- 
fortune befalls him, but endeavors to measure it by his reason 
and to overrule it by his counsel, and thus falls into anxiety — 
this man plunges himself into deep wretchedness, loses his joy 
and peace in God, and all to accomplish nothing. Of this fact 
we have daily testimony in our experience and in that of others. 
But let no one conclude that he will be utterly careless and 
rest upon God, making no effort, no exertion, not even resorting 
to prayer. Whoso adopts this course must soon fail and fall 
into anxiety. We must ever strive. Many care-engendering 
things befall us for the very purpose of driving us to prayer. 
Many things transpire which tend to create in us anxiety, but 
we must not let them make us overanxious. We must commit 
ourselves to God and implore his aid for our needs. 

Prayer is made vigorous by petitioning; urgent by supplica- 
tion; pleasing and acceptable by thanksgiving. Strength and 
acceptability combine to prevail and secure the petition. This, 
we see, is the manner of prayer practiced by the Church; the 
holy fathers in the Old Testament always offered supplication 
and thanks in their prayers. The Lord's Prayer opens with 
praise and thanksgiving and the acknowledgment of God as 
Father. It earnestly presses toward him through filial love and 
a recognition of fatherly tenderness. For supplication this 
prayer is unequaled. Hence it is the sublimest and noblest 
prayer ever uttered. 

These words of Paul beautifully spiritualize and explain the 
mystery of the golden censer of which Moses has written much 
in the Old Testament, detailing how the priests should burn 
incense in the temple. We are all priests and our prayers are 
censers. The golden vessel signifies the precious words of 



442 DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH 

prayer; the live coals stand for thanksgiving for benefits in 
prayer; the ascending smoke is our faith, when we believe our 
appeal reaches God and is heard. We must not doubt that 
God hears us. 



The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep 
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil. 4: 7. 

By "peace of God" we must understand, not that calm and 
satisfied peace in which God himself dwells, but the peace and 
contentment he produces in our hearts. This peace is the gift 
of God and is called the "peace of God," because, having it, 
we are at peace with him even if we are displeased with men. 
This peace is beyond the power of mind and reason to compre- 
hend. They who know nothing of fleeing to God in prayer, 
when overtaken by tribulation and adversity and when filled 
with care and anxiety, proceed to seek that peace alone which 
reason apprehends and which reason can secure. But reason 
apprehends no peace apart from the removal of the evil. But 
they who find their peace in God, rejoice in him and are con- 
tented. They calmly endure tribulation'; standing firm, they 
await the inner strength wrought by faith. It is not theirs to 
inquire whether the evil will be long or short in duration ; they 
ever leave it to God's regulation. They are not anxious to 
know when, where or by whom termination of the evil is to 
come. God affords them grace and removes their evils, bestow- 
ing blessings beyond their expectation. 

This is the peace of the cross, the peace of God, the peace of 
conscience, Christian peace, which gives us eternal calm and 
makes us satisfied with all men and unwilling to disturb any. 
Reason cannot understand how there can be pleasure in crosses 



DECEMBER EIGHTEENTH 443 

and peace in disquietude. Such peace is the work of God, and 
none can understand it until he has experienced it. "Heart" and 
"mind" here must not be supposed to mean human will and 
understanding; but faith and love are meant in all their opera- 
tions, in all their inclinations toward God and men. The ref- 
erence is simply to a disposition to trust and love God, a wil- 
lingness of heart and mind to serve God and man to the utmost. 
Briefly, this text is a lesson in Christian living, in the attitude 
of the Christian toward God and man. It teaches us to let 
God be everything to us, and to treat all men alike, to conduct 
ourselves toward men as does God toward us, receiving from 
him and giving to them. It may be summed up in the words 
"faith" and "love." 



immher Sigljt^ntlj 



The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Rom. 13 : 12. 

This is equivalent to saying, "salvation is near us." By the 
word "day" Paul means the gospel; the gospel is like day in 
that it enlightens the heart or soul. Christ and his grace, prom- 
ised to Abraham, are now revealed ; they are preached in all the 
world, enlightening mankind, awaking us from sleep and mak- 
ing manifest the true, eternal blessings, that we may enjoy 
ourselves with the gospel of Christ and walk honorably in the 
day. By the word "night" we are to understand all doctrines 
apart from the gospel. For there is no other saving doctrine; 
all else is night and darkness. 

Paul designates the most beautiful and vivifying time of the 
day — the delightful, joyous dawn, the hour of sunrise. In re- 
sponse to the morning dawn, birds sing, beasts arouse them- 
selves and all humanity arises. At daybreak, when the sky is 
red in the east, the world is apparently new and all things re- 



444 DECEMBER NINETEENTH 

animated. In many places in the Scriptures, the comforting, 
vivifying preaching of the gospel is compared to the morning 
dawn, to the rising of the sun. The gospel day is produced by 
the glorious Sun, Jesus Christ. Malachi calls him the Sun of 
Righteousness with healing in his wings. The natural sun 
makes the natural day, but the Lord himself is the author of 
the spiritual day. Christ is the Sun, the source of the gospel 
day. From him the .gospel brightness shines throughout the 
world. As the natural heavens bring the sun and the day, so 
the apostles in their preaching bring us the real Sun, Christ. 

The Scriptures sublimely exalt the gospel day, for it is the 
source of life, joy, pleasure and energy, and brings all good. 
Hence the name "gospel," joyful news. Who can enumerate 
the things revealed to us by this, the gospel day? It teaches 
us everything — the nature of God, of ourselves, and what has 
been and is to be in regard to heaven, hell and earth, to angels 
and devils. It enables us to know how to conduct ourselves in 
relation to these, whence we are and whither we go. In per- 
mitting ourselves to be blinded by human doctrines, we return 
to the night. Whatsoever is not the gospel day surely cannot 
be light. The gospel declares him the Light and Sun of the 
world. 

lumber Nmrt?wtfj 

The poor have the gospel preached to them. Matt. II : 5- 

Among the works of Christ none is greater than the preach- 
ing of the gospel to the poor. This means that to the poor the 
divine promise of grace and consolation in and through Christ 
is preached, offered and presented, so that to him who believes 
all his sins forgiven the law is fulfilled, conscience is ap- 
peased and at last life eternal is bestowed upon him. What 
more joyful tidings could a poor, sorrowful heart and troubled 



DECEMBER NINETEENTH 445 

conscience hear than this? How could the heart become more 
bold and courageous than by such consoling, blissful words of 
promise. Sin, death, hell, the world, the devil and every 
evil are scorned when a poor heart receives and believes this 
consolation of the divine promise. To give sight to the blind 
and to raise up the dead are but insignificant deeds, compared 
with the preaching of the gospel to the poor. 

Surely these poor are not the beggars and the bodily poor, 
but the spiritually poor, namely, those who do not covet and 
love earthly goods; those poor broken-hearted ones who in the 
agony of their conscience seek and desire help and consolation 
so ardently as to covet neither riches nor honor. Nothing but 
a merciful God will help them. These are the ones for whom 
such a message is intended, and they are delighted in their 
hearts with it. 

Though the gospel is heard by all the world, yet it is not 
accepted but by the poor only. It is to be preached and pro- 
claimed to all the world as a message only for the poor, as the 
rich cannot receive it. Whosoever would receive it must first 
become poor, just as Christ says, he came not to call the right- 
eous, but sinners only, although he called all the world. In 
like manner all should become poor who hear the gospel, that 
they might be worthy of the gospel. Hence you see who are 
the greatest enemies of the gospel, namely, the work-righteous 
saints, who are self-conceited. The gospel has not the least 
in common with them. They want to become rich in works, but 
the gospel wills that they are to become poor. So they clash 
with the gospel. 



446 DECEMBER TWENTIETH 

Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put 
on the armour of light. Rom. 13: 12. 

We are not profited by the shining of the sun, and the day it 
produces, if our eyes fail to perceive its light. Similarly, 
though the gospel is revealed and Christ is proclaimed to the 
world, none are enlightened but those who receive it, who have 
risen from sleep through the agency of the light of faith. They 
who sleep are not affected by the sun and the day; they receive 
no light and receive as little as if there were neither sun nor 
day. It is to our day that Paul refers when he says: "Know- 
ing the season, that already it is time for you to wake out of 
sleep." In the light of our spiritual knowledge we are to rise 
from sleep and lay aside the works of darkness. Paul is not 
addressing unbelievers. He tells the Romans they know the 
time is at hand, that the night is past and the dawn appears. 

But why this passage to believers? Because no one ever gets 
to the point of knowledge where it is not necessary to admonish 
him, continually to urge him to new reflections upon what he 
already knows; for there is danger of his untiring enemies — 
the devil, the world and the flesh — wearying him and causing 
him to become negligent, and ultimately lulling him to sleep. 
There should, therefore, be continuous exhorting to vigilance 
and activity. Hence the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter 
or Helper, who incites and urges to good. 

Not the works of darkness Paul calls "armor," but the works 
of light. Why "armor" rather than "works?" Doubtless to 
teach that only at the cost of conflicts, pain, labor and danger 
will the truly watchful and godly life be maintained. But it 
is no easy thing to stand always in battle array during the 
whole life. Good trumpets and bugles are necessary, preach- 



DECEMBER TWENTY-FIRST 447 

ing and exhortation of a sort to enable us valiantly to maintain 
our position in battle. Good works are armor. Let not the 
works of darkness get such control of you as to render your 
members weapons of unrighteousness. The word "light" here 
carries the thought of faith. The "armor of light" is simply the 
works of faith. "Darkness" is unbelief ; it reigns in the absence 
of the gospel and of Christ through the instrumentality of the 
doctrines of men, instigated by the devil. 

Rejoice in the Lord alway : and again I say. Rejoice. Phil. 
4: 4. 

Joy is the natural fruit of faith. Until the heart believes 
in God, it is impossible for it to rejoice in him. When faith 
is lacking man is filled with fear and gloom and is disposed to 
flee at the very mention, the mere thought of God. The un- 
believing heart is filled with enmity and hatred against God. 
Conscious of its own guilt, it has no confidence in his gracious 
mercy; it knows God as an enemy to sin who will terribly 
punish the same. One may as well try to pursuade water to 
burn as to talk to such a heart of joy in God. All words will 
be without effect, for the sinner feels upon his conscience the 
pressure of God's hand. The psalmist says, "Rejoice, ye 
righteous ; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." 
It must be the just and the righteous, then, who are to rejoice 
in the Lord. This text, therefore, is not written for the sin- 
ner, but for the saint. We must first tell the sinners how 
they can be liberated from their sins and perceive a merciful 
God. When they have been released from the power of an 
evil conscience, joy will naturally result. 

But how shall we be liberated from an accusing conscience 






448 DECEMBER TWENTY-SECOND 

and receive the assurance of God's mercy? He who would 
have a quiet conscience and would be sensitive of God's mercy 
must place no hope whatever in works, but must comprehend 
God in Christ, comprehend the gospel and believe its promises. 
But what does the gospel promise other than that Christ is given 
for us, bears our sins and is our Bishop, Mediator and Advo- 
cate before God, and that only through him and his works is 
God reconciled, our sins forgiven and our consciences set free 
and made glad? When this sort of faith in the gospel really 
exists, the heart confidently feels his favor and grace. It is 
secure and in good spirits because God has conferred upon it, 
through Christ, superabundant goodness and grace. It will 
enjoy sincere pleasure in God as its beloved and gracious Fa- 
ther. Such is the rejoicing of which Paul here speaks — a re- 
joicing where is no sin, no fear of death and hell, but rather a 
glad and all-powerful confidence in God and his kindness. 



Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall 
prepare thy way before thee. Matt. II : 10. 

We must accustom ourselves to the Scriptures, in which 
angel means a messenger; not a bearer of messages or one who 
carries letters, but one who is sent to solicit orally for the mes- 
sage. Hence in the Scripture this name is common to all mes- 
sengers of God in heaven and on earth, be they holy angels in 
heaven, or the prophets and apostles on earth. Thus they who 
proclaim God's Word are called his angels or messengers and 
solicitors. But the heavenly spirits are called angels chiefly be- 
cause they are the highest and most exalted messengers of God. 
Thus John the Baptist is also an angel or word-messenger, and 
not only that, but one who also prepares the way before the 



DECEMBER TWENTY-THIRD 449 

face of the Master in such manner that the Master himself im- 
mediately follows him, which no prophet ever did. For this 
reason John "is more than a prophet," namely an angel or mes- 
senger, and a forerunner, so that in his day the Lord of all 
the prophets himself comes with his messenger. 

The preparing here means to make ready the way, to put out 
of the way all that interferes with the course of the Lord, just 
as the servant clears the way before the face of his master by 
removing wood, stones, people and all that is in the way. But 
what was it that blocked the way of Christ and that John was 
to remove? Sin, without doubt, especially the good works of 
the haughty saints ; that is, he should make known to everybody 
that the works and deeds of all men are sin and iniquity and 
that all need the grace of Christ. He who knows and acknowl- 
edges this thoroughly is himself humble and has well prepared 
the way for Christ. 

Thus John is not a prophet, but a messenger. And not a 
messenger who stays at home, but one that goes before the face 
of his master and brings the master along with him, so that 
there is but one time for the messenger and for the master. 
Thus Christ pleads with the Jews to take John as a messenger, 
and not as a prophet. To this day it is the delusion of the 
Jews that they look for another time. They, therefore, re- 
main shaken reeds and soft raiment seekers. 

They asked him, What then? Art thou Eliasf And he saith, 
I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 
John i: 21. 

The question arises, Did John really confess the truth when 
he denied that he was Elijah or a prophet, when Christ himself 
called him Elijah and more than a prophet. He himself knew 

Devotional Readings 29. 



45° DECEMBER TWENTY-THIRD 

that he had, come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and the 
Scriptures called him such. The truth of the matter is that he 
simply confessed the truth in a straightforward manner, namely, 
that he was not that Elijah about whom they asked, nor a 
prophet. The prophets commonly led and taught the people, 
who sought advice and help from them. Such a one John was 
not and would not be, for the Lord was present, whom they 
were to adhere to and follow. He did not desire to draw the 
people to himself, but to lead them to Christ, which was needful 
before Christ himself came. A prophet foretells the coming of 
Christ. John, however, shows him present, which is not a 
prophet's task. John directs the people to Christ, and this is a 
higher and greater office than that of a prophet, yet it is not 
on account of his merit, but on account of the presence of his 
Master. In praising John for being more than a prophet, not 
his worthiness but that of his Master, who is present, is extolled. 
For it is customary for a servant to receive greater honor and 
reverence in the absence of his master than in his presence. 

The rank of a prophet is higher than that of John, although 
his office is greater and more immediate. A prophet rules and 
leads the people, and they adhere to him ; but John does no 
more than direct them away from himself to Christ, the present 
Master. Therefore, in the simplest and most straightforward 
manner, he denied being a prophet, although abounding in all 
the qualities of a prophet. This he did for the sake of the 
people, in order that they might not accept his testimony as the 
foretelling of a prophet and expect Christ in other future times, 
but that they might recognize him as a forerunner and guide, 
and follow his guidance to the Lord, who was present. The 
gospel through which Christ has come into the world is the last 
message before the day of judgment. 



DECEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH 45 I 

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the 
world. John I : 29. 

By this John means to say: I have, by my teaching, made 
you all sinners, having condemned your works and told you to 
despair of yourselves. But in order that you may not also 
despair of God, I will show you how to get rid of your sins 
and obtain salvation. Not that you can strip off your sins or 
make yourselves pious through your works ; another man is 
needed for this; nor can I do it, I can point him out, however. 
It is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. He, he, and no one else 
in heaven or on earth, takes our sins upon himself. You your- 
selves could not pay for the very smallest of your sins. He alone 
must take upon himself not alone your sins, but the sins of the 
world, and not some sins, but all the sins of the world, be they 
great or small, many or few. 

Now if you are able to believe that this voice of John speaks 
the truth, and if you are able to follow his finger and recognize 
the Lamb of God carrying your sins, then you have gained the 
victory, then you are a Christian, a master of sin, death, hell 
and all things. Then your conscience will rejoice and become 
heartily fond of this gentle Lamb of God. Then you will love, 
praise and give thanks to our heavenly Father for his infinite 
wealth of mercy, preached by John and given in Christ. Finally 
you will become cheerful and willing to do his divine will, as 
best you can, with all your strength. What lovelier and more 
comforting message can be heard than that our sins are not ours 
any more, that they no more lie on us, but on the Lamb of God. 
Lying on him, sin must be vanquished and made to nothing, and 
likewise death and hell, being the reward of sin, must be van- 
quished also. Behold what God our Father has given us in 
Christ. 



452 DECEMBER TWENTY-FIFTH 

Take heed lest you presume to get rid of the smallest of your 
sins through your own merit before God, and lest yOu rob 
Christ, the Lamb of God, of his credit. John indeed demands 
that each one should know himself, repent and grow better, yet 
not in himself, but in Jesus Christ alone. 



immfor Sttmttg-ftftlf 

Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2: it. 

Faith comes first, and it is proper that we recognize it as the 
most important in every word of God. The right and gracious 
faith which God demands is, that you firmly believe that Christ 
is born for you, and that his birth took place for your welfare. 
The gospel teaches that Christ was born, and that he did and 
suffered everything in our behalf. It is not simply said, Christ 
is born, but to you he is born. The right ground of salvation 
which unites Christ and the believing heart is that they have 
all things in common. But what have they? 

Christ has a pure, innocent and holy birth. Man has an 
unclean, sinful and condemned birth. David says: "Behold, I 
was shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother conceive me." 
Nothing can help this unholy birth except the pure birth of 
Christ. But Christ's birth cannot be distributed in a material 
sense, neither would that avail anything; it is imparted spirit- 
ually through the Word; it is given to all who firmly believe, 
so that no harm will come to them because of their impure birth. 
In this way we are cleansed from the miserable birth we have 
from Adam. For this purpose Christ willed to be born, that 
through him we might be born again. Christ takes our birth 
from us and absorbs it in his birth, and grants us his, that in it 
we might become pure and holy, so that every Christian may 



DECEMBER TWEXTY-SIXTH 453 

rejoice and glory in Christ's birth. Whoever does not believe 
this, or doubts, is no Christian. 

O, this is the great joy of which the angel speaks. This is 
the comfort and exceeding goodness of God that, if a man be- 
lieves this, he can boast of the treasure that Mary is his rightful 
mother, Christ his brother, and God his father. But this cannot 
occur except through the faith that teaches us rightly to under- 
stand the gospel and properly to lay hold of it. This is the only 
way that Christ can be rightly known so that the conscience is 
satisfied and made to rejoice. Out of this grow love and praise 
to God who in Christ has bestowed upon us such unspeakable 
gifts. This gives courage to suffer everything that is well 
pleasing to God. 



And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him 
in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there 
was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2 : 7. 

He was born of the virgin Mary. There is no deception here, 
for the Word clearly states that it was an actual birth. Mary's 
experience was not different from that of other women, so that 
the birth of Christ was a real natural birth, Mary being his 
natural mother and he being her natural son. But she brought 
forth without sin, without shame, without pain and without 
injury, just as she had conceived without sin. The curse of 
Eve did not come upon her, where God said: "In sorrow shalt 
thou bring forth children." 

Grace does not interfere with nature and her work, but rather 
improves and promotes it. I mention this that we may be 
grounded in the faith and know that Jesus was a natural man 
in every respect just as we are, the only difference being in his 



454 DECEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH 

relation to sin and grace, he being without a sinful nature. It 
is a great comfort to us that Jesus took upon himself our nature 
and flesh. Therefore we are not to take away from him or his 
mother anything that is not in conflict with grace, for the text 
clearly says that she brought him forth, and the angels said, 
Unto you he is born. 

How could God have shown his goodness in a more sublime 
manner than by humbling himself to partake of flesh and blood, 
so that henceforth even that can be regarded godly, honest and 
pure, which in all men is ungodly, shameful and impure ? These 
are real miracles of God, for in no way could he have given us 
stronger, more forcible and purer pictures of chastity than in 
this birth. When we look upon this birth, and reflect how the 
sublime Majesty moves with great earnestness and inexpressible 
love and goodness upon the flesh and blood of this virgin, we 
see how all evil lust and every evil thought is banished. No 
woman can inspire such pure thoughts in a man as this virgin; 
nor can any man inspire such pure thought in a woman as this 
child. If in reflecting on this birth we recognize the work of 
God that is embodied in it, only chastity and purity spring 
from it. 

There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, 
keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2 : 8. 

The shepherds were in the field, under the canopy of heaven, 
and not in houses, showing that they do not cling to temporal 
things. They are in the fields by night, unknown to the world 
which sleeps in the night, and by day delights to walk that it 
may be noticed. They represent all the lowly who live on earth, 
often despised and unnoticed but dwell only under the protec- 
tion of heaven; they eagerly desire the gospel. 



DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH 455 

That they were "shepherds," means that no one is to hear the 
gospel alone for himself, but every one is to tell it to others who 
are not acquainted with it. For he who believes for himself 
has enough and should endeavor to bring others to such faith 
and knowledge, so that one may be a shepherd of the other to 
lead him into the pasture of the gospel in this world, during 
the night time of this earthly life. At first the shepherds were 
sore afraid because of the angel; for human nature is shocked 
when it first hears the gospel that all our own works are nothing 
and are condemned before God, for it does not easily give up 
its prejudices and presumptions. 

Now let every one examine himself in the light of the gospel 
to see how far he is from Christ, what is the character of his 
faith and love. Many are enkindled with dreamy devotion, 
when they hear of the poverty of Christ, are almost angry with 
the citizens of Bethlehem, denounce their blindness and ingrati- 
tude, and think, if they had been there, they would have shown 
the Lord and his mother a more becoming service, and would 
not have permitted them to be treated so miserably. But they 
do not look by their side to see how many of their fellow men 
need their aid, whom they let go on in their misery unaided. It 
is altogether wrong for you to think that you have done much 
for Christ, when you have done nothing for those needy ones. 
Had you been in Bethlehem you would have paid as little at- 
tention to Christ as they did; but since it is now made known 
who Christ is, you profess to serve him, but you would hardly 
have done it before. 

immter ©tuentg-ngljtfj 

As the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the 
shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethle- 
hem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord 
hath made known unto us. Luke 2: 15. 



456 



DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH 



Had not these shepherds believed the angel they would never 
have gone to Bethlehem, they would have done none of those 
things related of them in this gospel. One might say, I would 
gladly believe if an angel from heaven were to preach to me. 
But whoever does not receive the Word for its own sake will 
never receive it for the sake of the preacher, even if all the angels 
preached it to him. He who receives it because of the preacher 
does not believe in the Word, neither in God through the Word, 
but he believes the preacher and in the preacher. Hence the 
faith of such persons does not last long. But whoever believes 
the Word, does not care who the person is that speaks the Word, 
and neither will he honor the Word for the sake of the person ; 
but on the contrary, he honors the person because of the Word, 
and always subordinates the person to the Word. If the preacher 
perishes, or even falls from the faith and preaches differently, 
he will forsake the person of the preacher rather than the Word 
of God. 

All who believed Christ because of his person and his miracles 
fell from their faith when he was crucified. So it is in our day 
and so it has always been. The Word itself, without any regard 
to persons, must be enough for the heart; it must lay hold of 
man as if taken captive, so that he feels how true and right it 
is, even if the world, all the angels, all the princes of hell said 
differently, even if God himself spake otherwise; as he at times 
tempts his own elect and appears as if different from what he 
had before declared. So it was with Abraham when commanded 
to offer his son Isaac; with Jacob, while wrestling with the 
angel; with David, when persecuted by his son Absalom. This 
faith triumphs in life and death, and nothing is able to over- 
throw it; because it rests upon nothing but the Word without 
any regard whatever to persons. Such faith these shepherds 
possess; they cleave to the Word so strongly that they forget 
the angels who declared it to them. They do not say, Let us 



DECEMBER TWENTY-NINTH 457 

go and see what the angels made known to us, but what the 
Lord hath made known to us. 



BttBtnbn Qhwittg-tttittlf 

We ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your 
patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that 
ye endure. 2 Thess. 1 : 4. 

One of the chief reasons why God permits Christians to suffer 
on earth is to make plain the distinction between their reward 
and that of the ungodly. In the sufferings of believing Chris- 
tians, and in the wickedness, tyranny, rage and persecution 
directed by the unrighteous against the godly, is a certain indica- 
tion of a future life unlike this and a final judgment of God in 
which all men, godly and wicked, shall be forever recompensed. 
When Paul speaks of the tribulations and sufferings of Chris- 
tians, he means to say that these afflictions are the indication of 
God's righteous judgment, and a sign that you are worthy of 
the kingdom of God for which you suffer. In other words: 
"O beloved Christians, regard your sufferings as dear and 
precious. Think not God is angry with you, or has forgotten 
you, because he allows you to endure these things. They are 
your great help and comfort, for they show that God will be a 
righteous judge, will richly bless 5*0 u and avenge you upon your 
persecutors. In this you have unfailing assurance. You may 
rejoice and console yourselves, believing without the shadow of 
a doubt that you belong to the kingdom of God, and have been 
made worthy of it, because you suffer for its sake." 

But it is impossible that it should continue to be, as now, well 
with the world and evil with you. God's righteousness will not 
admit of it. Just because he is a righteous judge, things must 
be eventually different: the godly must have eternal good, and 



458 DECEMBER THIRTIETH 

the wicked, on the other hand, must be punished forever. Other- 
wise God's judgment would not be righteous; in other words, he 
would not be God. This is an impossible proposition, since 
God's righteousness and truth are immutable, in his capacity 
as judge he must perforce in due time come from heaven, when 
he shall have assembled his Christians, and avenge them of their 
enemies, recompense the latter according to their merits, and 
confer eternal rest and peace upon his followers for the temporal 
sufferings they have endured here. Necessarily, then, he has 
planned a future state for Christians and for non-Christians, in 
either instance unlike what they know on earth. 



In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God. John I : I. 

That this gospel may be more easily understood, we must go 
back to the passages of the Old Testament upon which it is 
founded, namely, the beginning of the first chapter of Genesis. 
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and 
God said, Let there be light ; and God said, Let there be a firma- 
ment:; and God said, Let there be sun, moon and stars." From 
these words of Moses it is clearly proved that God has a Word, 
through which or by means of which he spoke, before anything 
was created ; and this Word cannot be anything that was cre- 
ated, since all things were created through this divine utterance. 
The Word must therefore have preceded the light, since light 
came by the Word ; consequently it was also before all creatures, 
which also came by the Word, as Moses writes. 

If the Word preceded all creatures, and all creatures came 
by the Word and were created by it, the Word must be a dif- 
ferent being than a creature, and was not made or created like 



DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST 459 

a creature. When all things began it was already there, and 
cannot be confined to time nor to creation; rather time and 
creation are made and have their beginning through it. Thus 
whatever is not temporal must be eternal; that which has no 
beginning cannot be temporal ; that which is not a creature must 
be God. Besides God and his creatures there is nothing. Hence 
the Word of God, which was in the beginning and through 
which all things were made and spoken, must be God eternal 
and not a creature. 

Again, the Word and he that speaks it are not one person; 
for it is not possible that the speaker is himself the Word. What 
sort of speaker would he be who is himself the Word? But 
Scripture here speaks in strong, lucid words: "God said." Thus 
God and his Word must be two distinct things. Thus the 
words of Moses show conclusively that there are two persons 
in the Godhead from eternity, before all creatures, that the one 
has his existence from the other, and the first has his existence 
from nothing but himself. Yet the Scriptures firmly maintain 
that there is only one God. Thus there must be two persons 
in the Godhead and yet be one God. 



Bmmter Gtytrtg-ftrsl 



Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. Rom. 
14: 8. 

In the past much has been written and ingeniously devised 
on the topic of preparing for death and the final judgment. But 
it has only served to further confuse timid consciences. For 
these comforters were not able to show anything of the comfort 
to be found in the riches of grace and bliss in Christ. They 
directed the people to oppose with their own works and good 
life, death and God's judgment. In place of this delusion is 



460 DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST 

now evident the precious truth; he who knows the gospel doc- 
trines, goes on and performs his own work and duty in his 
respective calling. He takes comfort in the fact that through 
baptism he is engrafted into Christ; he receives absolution and 
partakes of the Holy Supper for the strengthening of his faith, 
commending his soul and body to Christ. Why should such a 
one fear death? Though it came at any time, in form of pes- 
tilence or accident, it will always find the Christian ready and 
well prepared, be he awake or asleep ; for he is in Christ Jesus. 
For all these things the Christian may well thank and bless 
God, realizing that he has no further need, nor can he gain 
anything better than he already has in the remission of sins, the 
gift of the Holy Spirit and the faithful prosecution of his 
calling; however, he should remain and daily grow in faith and 
supplication. But we cannot hope to attain to another and 
better doctrine, faith, Spirit, prayer, sacrament and reward than 
had all the saints, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, or in fact than 
has now every Christian that is baptized. Therefore I need 
not idly spend time in trying to prepare people for death and 
inspire them with courage by such commonplaces as recalling 
and relating the innumerable daily accidents, ills and dangers 
of this life. This method will not answer ; death will not there- 
by be frightened away, nor will the fear of death be removed. 
The gospel teaching is: Believe in Christ, pray and live in ac- 
cordance with God's Word, and then, when death overtakes or 
attacks you, you will know that you are Christ the Lord's. We 
Christians live upon this earth to the very end that we may 
have assured comfort, salvation and victory over death and hell. 



INDEX OF TEXTS 



PAGE 

Gen. 2: 23 212 

2: 23 218 

2: 24 219 

4: 8 240 

4: 9 90 

4: 9 92 

4: 11 93 

4: 15 94 

4: 16 95 

4: 24 96 

4: 25 98 

5: 24 120 

6: 3 178 

6: 6 80 

6: 9 270 

6: 18 406 

6: 21 292 

6: 22 293 

7: 1 264 

8: 1 283 

8: 21 77 

8: 21 276 

8: 22 302 

9: 6 228 

22: 18 434 

Ex. 20: 3 311 

Ps. 1: 1, 2 371 

1: 6 381 

2: 1, 2 383 

2: 4 390 

2: 9 397 

4: 2 214 

5: 11 399 

32: 5 Ill 

33: 5 272 

34: 19 368 

46: 1, 2 266 

51: 3 389 

55: 22 209 

119: 11 408 

Prov. 10: 12 30 

17: 13 378 



PAGE 

Eccles. 9: 15 160 

Is. 53: 4 104 

53: 6 109 

55: 3 148 

55: 6 123 

60: 1 12 

60: 1 14 

Ezek. 16: 49, 50 403 

34: 2 144 

Zech. 9: 9 423 

Matt. 2: 1, 2 13 

4: 1 65 

4: 3, 4 69 

4: 6 70 

5: 16 374 

5: 44 38 

6: 24 343 

6: 33 331 

6: 34 332 

7: 12 422 

7: 15 305 

7: 20 306 

7: 21 315 

8: 2 46 

8: 10 43 

8: 13 55 

9: 2 357 

11: 2, 3 436 

11: 5 444 

11: 6 438 

11: 10 448 

13: 16 312 

13: 20 36 

15: 22, 23 73 

15: 25—27 74 

18: 26 370 

20: 16 49 

21: 5 424 

22: 2 384 

22: 12 388 

22: 14 154 

22: 14 398 



462 



INDEX OF TEXTS 



PAGE I 



Matt. 22: 21 


.... 237 


22: 37 


.... 336 


22: 44 


.... 380 


23: 27 


.... 242 


25: 31, 32 


.... 412 


25: 34 


.... 413 


26: 26—28 .... 


.... 128 


28: 10 


134 


28: 19 


195 


Mark 7 


32 


320 


7 


33, 34 


309 


8 


2 


303 


8 


6 


313 


8 


8 


304 


14: 22—24 .... 


128 


16: 14 ..* 


153 


16: 15 


172 


16: 17, 18 .... 


173 


Luke 2: 7 


453 


2: 8 


454 


• 2: 11 


452 


2: 15 


455 


2: 21 


7 


2: 33 


21 


2: 34 


24 


2: 34 


26 


2: 36, 37 


..... 29 


2: 44, 45 


27 


2: 48 


18 


2: 49 


34 


2: 50 


44 


2: 52 


31 


5: 4 


288 


5: 8 


297 


5: 10 


287 


6: 36 


296 


7: 12 


338 


7: 14, 15 


335 


8: 10 


51 


10: 23, 24 


234 


10: 27 


327 


10: 30 


341 


11: 14 


84 


11: 24 


75 


14: 16 


251 


14: 16, 18 


258 


14: 23 


. .... 268 


1 


5: 1 


269 



PAGE 

Luke 15: 2 280 

15: 4 281 

15: 6 285 

16: 19 203 

16: 20, 21 254 

17: 5 316 

17: 12, 13 322 

17: 14 353 

17: 16 347 

17: 17, 18 363 

18: 13 330 

18: 31 54 

18: 34 64 

18: 42 68 

19: 41, 42 . .. 317 

19: 45, 46 325 

21: 25 428 

21: 26 429 

21: 25, 26 418 

21: 28 431 

21: 33 437 

22: 19 .'. 391 

22: 19, 20 128 

22: 19, 20 400 

24: 27 140 

24: 36 141 

24: 39 277 

24: 47 409 

John 1: 1 458 

1: 4 106 

1: 8 225 

1 : 21 449 

1: 29 326 

1: 29 451 

2: 1, 2 39 

3: 5 247 

3: 11, 12 226 

3: 13 248 

3: 14, 15 265 

3: 16 224 

3: 17 230 

4: 50 393 

5: 39 395 

6: 40 101 

6: 44 241 

6: 48, 50 245 

8: 46 87 

8: 48, 49 88 






INDEX OF TEXTS 



463 







PAGE 




PAGE 


John 8: 


51 


103 


Rom. 8 


16, 17 


333 


10: 


3, 4 


231 


8 


18 


197 


10: 


11 


159 


8 


19 


216 


10: 


14 


152 


8 


20 


233 


12: 


15 


426 


8 


22 


223 


14: 


1 


189 


8 


23 


432 


14: 


15 


220 


10: 10 


112 


14: 


18 


184 


11: 33 


162 


14: 


23 


186 


11: 33 


163 


14: 


26 


188 


11: 34 


252 


14: 


27 


222 


11: 34 


282 


15: 


26 


183 


12: 1 


17 


16: 


2 


174 


12: 2 


25 


16: 


3 


182 


12: 4, 5 


35 


16: 


8, 9 


115 


12: 6 


33 


16: 


8—10 .... 


145 


12: 14 


20 


16: 


8—11 .... 


146 


12: 16 


40 


16: 


13 


..... 191 


12: 16 


201 


16: 


16 


113 


13: 1, 2 


169 


16 


20 


181 


13: 8 


16 


16: 


23 


176 


13: 8 


63 


17: 


24 


359 


13: 9 


62 


20 


16, 17 


136 


13: 10 


15 


20: 


17 


139 


13: 10 


355 


20: 


19 


138 


13: 11 


433 


20. 


21 


255 


13: 12 


443 


20: 


23 


344 


13: 12 


446 


20- 


23 


358 


14: 1 


168 


20: 


25 


259 


14: 8 


459 


20: 


28 


260 


15: 4 


394 


21 


22 


416 


15: 5 


379 


Acts 2 : 


1 


192 


15: 6 


386 


10 


43 


116 


15: 7 


404 


10 


44 


206 


I Cor. 1: 4 


376 


13 


26 


131 


1: 5 


366 


22 


16 


385 


3: 16 


187 


Rom. 3: 


20—24 .... 


337 


4: 1 


271 


5: 


20 


235 


5: 6 


126 


6: 


3, 4 


236 


5: 7 


58 


6: 


5 


250 


9: 24 


45 


6: 


6 


253 


10: 3, 4 


125 


6: 


15 ........ 


244 


10: 4 


119 


6: 


16 


274 


10: 9 


342 


6: 


21, 22 


263 


10: 17 


130 


8: 


13 


291 


11: 19 


256 


8: 


14 


299 


11: 23—25 


128 


8: 


15 


321 


11: 27 


133 


8: 


16 


346 


12: 2 


246 



464 



INDEX OF TEXTS 



PAGE 

I Cor. 12: 3 279 

12: 3 361 

12: 23 50 

13: 1 60 

13: 13 48 

15: 4 135 

II Cor. 3: 5 289 

3: 6 308 

6: 1 79 

6: 2 89 

11: 19, 20 83 

11: 21, 22 117 

11: 23 42 

12: 7 105 

Gal. 1: 9 202 

3: 24 158 

3: 26 10 

4: 4, 5 427 

5: 14 72 

5: 34 110 

Eph. 2: 8, 9 8 

3: 13 340 

3: 14 348 

4: 1 300 

4: 3 375 

4: 22 364 

4: 23, 24 365 

4: 26 328 

5: 1, 2 100 

5: 3 85 

5: 16 407 

5: 18 239 

6: 11 369 

Phil. 1: 3, 5 373 

1: 9, 10 211 

3: 9 402 

3: 17 349 

3: 20 124 

3: 21 421 

4: 4 447 

4: 6 440 

4: 7 294 

4: 7 442 

Col. 1: 9 417 

3: 1 149 

3: 4 157 

3: 12, 13 56 









PAGE 


Col. 


3: 


17 


. . . . 53 


I Thess 


.4: 


1 


. . . . 78 


II Thess 


1: 


4 


.... 457 




1: 


6 


.... 419 


I Tim. 


6: 


9 


.... 286 




6: 


10 


.... 323 


Heb. 


1: 


5 


.... 9 




9: 


13, 14 


.... 82 




11 


: 1 


.... 351 




11 


: 5 


.... 121 




11 


: 6 


.... 204 




11 


: 17, 18 . . . 


.... 354 


I Peter 


2: 


5 


.... 22 




2: 


11, 12 


.... 213 




2: 


20 


129 




2: 


21, 22 


.... 107 




2: 


23 


.... 59 




2: 


23 


.... 67 




3: 


9 


217 




3: 


10 


.... 199 




3: 


12 


.... 208 




4: 


7 


.... 196 




4: 


11 


.... 143 




5: 


6 


.... 229 




5: 


8 


.... 193 




5: 


8, 9 


.... 414 




5: 


9 


.... 319 


II Peter 


2: 


5 


.... 99 




3: 


18 


.... 171 


I John 


1: 


9 


.... 360 




2: 


1, 2 


.... 411 




3: 


2 


.... 198 




3: 


13 


275 




3: 


14 


.... 261 




3: 


17 


.... 310 




5: 


1 


.... 150 




5: 


4 


.... 155 




5: 


4 


164 




5: 


6 


.... 177 


James 


1: 


17 


.... 165 




1: 


18 


.... 167 




1: 


20 


.... 298 




1: 


21 


.... 179 




2: 


17 


.... 439 




2: 


26 


.... 352 


Jude 


1: 


3, 4 ...... 


207 












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